YouTube is taking a big step toward combating AI-generated “slop” with new automatic detection and labeling of photorealistic, AI-heavy videos.
Announced this week, the platform will now automatically apply AI labels to content that features significant photorealistic AI generation or modification, regardless of whether the creator manually publishes it or not. This is intended for videos that are realistic enough to potentially deceive viewers, while less deceptive content (such as animations or lightly edited clips) will have modest disclosures in the description.
The new, more prominent AI label will appear directly below the video player on long-form content and as an overlay on short-form videos, making it impossible to miss. Creators are responsible for self-disclosing their use of realistic AI and can dispute incorrect automated labels in YouTube Studio. However, labels are persistent for videos created with YouTube’s own AI tools (such as Veo or Dream Screen) or videos that include C2PA metadata.
The move comes as AI-generated videos, especially short videos, flood the platform, frustrating many users who feel that YouTube’s quality and reliability are rapidly deteriorating.
In a related update, YouTube is also rolling out customizable AI-powered content feeds in the US. Users enter prompts describing their interests, moods, and topics, and the platform generates a customized feed (search and watch history must be enabled).
This dual announcement reflects YouTube’s ongoing battle to balance creator tools and audience trust in an era of increasingly sophisticated AI content.
Mac Daily News opinion: It remains to be seen whether automatic labeling will significantly reduce misleading videos, but it’s a welcome move to increase transparency for millions of viewers tired of AI spam.
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