YouTube will automatically label videos made with AI-generated or AI-altered content, starting in May

YouTube announced it will use internal systems to automatically detect and label videos containing 'significant photorealistic AI' rather than relying solely on creator disclosure. The automatic labeling begins in May.

Labels will now appear directly below the video player above the description for long-form videos and overlay directly on YouTube Shorts, making them more prominent. Videos with only slight alterations, animations, or unrealistic content will have labels appear in the expanded description only.

Creators can update disclosure status if their content was misidentified, but cannot remove labels if the content was created with YouTube's own AI tools like Veo or Dream Screen. Labels will also be permanently attached when videos contain C2PA metadata (a technical standard) indicating they were fully AI-generated.

YouTube says AI labels will not impact how a video is recommended or its ability to monetize.