YouTube is increasing the visibility of its tags for AI-generated content and is also implementing automatic detection of highly realistic images and videos created by AI. These updates come in response to user feedback and were announced on the YouTube blog.
The platform is also reworking the way it tags long-form and short-form videos, adding internal signals that can automatically apply tags without requiring input from creators.
Where YouTube’s new AI tags appear and how auto-detection works
The location of the new tags varies depending on the video format. For long-form videos, the AI disclosure label is now located directly below the video player and above the description. Instead, for BermudaThe label appears as an overlay directly on the video.
These tags apply to photorealistic content, as well as content that has been significantly altered or generated by AI. Although YouTube describes the new positions as more noticeable, the labels are still relatively small in the platform’s promotional video and can be easily overlooked during normal viewing.
The main change is the introduction of new internal signals that help YouTube automatically identify AI-generated content. Currently, creators must manually disclose when they use realistic AI, but not all do so consistently.
The new detection technology allows YouTube to automatically tag content that involves significant use of photorealistic AI. Creators still have some control over these tags.
If you believe your content was misidentified as AI-generated, you can update the disclosure status in YouTube Studio.
When you can’t remove AI tags and why this update is important
YouTube specifies that in certain situations, disclosures will be permanent regardless of what the creator prefers. This includes content created with YouTube’s own AI tools, such as Veo or Dream Screen, and content that contains C2PA metadata showing it was generated entirely by AI.
In these cases, the tag cannot be removed through YouTube Studio. The changes come amid growing concerns about the amount of AI-generated content on YouTube. A recent study found that more than 20 percent of videos shown to new users were low-quality content created by AI.
Separate research shows that as technology improves, viewers are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish AI-generated videos from genuine images.
The label update is part of several recent AI-related efforts by YouTube, including expanding image detection to all creators over 18 and launching Gemini Omni remixes for shorts.
YouTube has not specified when re-tagging and auto-discovery will be fully available to all users and regions.
