Creators must disclose AI use in videos with new label placement

What this means for creators

If a creator uses photorealistic AI tools, they must disclose this use or face automatic labeling by YouTube's detection systems. Disclosures for content created with YouTube's own AI tools or containing C2PA metadata cannot be removed, even if disputed.

YouTube is changing where AI disclosure labels appear for photorealistic and meaningfully altered or generated content. For long-form videos, the label now appears directly below the video player above the description. For Shorts, the label appears as an overlay on the video itself. Content that is unrealistic, animated, or slightly altered will have disclosure information available in the expanded description.

Starting in May 2026, YouTube is rolling out automatic detection to identify photorealistic AI-generated content. If a creator does not manually disclose AI use but YouTube's systems detect significant photorealistic AI generation, the platform will automatically apply a label. Creators can dispute incorrect AI detection by updating the disclosure status in YouTube Studio, but disclosures remain permanent for content created with YouTube's own AI tools (Veo, Dream Screen) or content containing C2PA metadata indicating full generative AI creation.

YouTube states that disclosure labels do not affect video recommendations or monetization eligibility. Creators retain control over disclosures, and the changes are designed to balance transparency with creator autonomy.