YouTube, the world’s largest video-sharing platform, will introduce a feature that automatically detects AI-generated videos and attaches an identification label.
On Tuesday, May 27, YouTube said it will deploy its own detection technology to tag videos created or altered with AI, marking them with an “AI” label to improve transparency.
The company is moving away from a voluntary disclosure system—where creators self-reported AI use—to an automated approach in which YouTube’s system determines when a video involves “substantial, realistic” AI. The automatic detection will be rolled out in phases beginning in May 2026.
YouTube also plans to make labels more prominent so viewers can spot AI involvement at a glance. For realistic-looking, AI-heavy long-form videos, the label will appear directly beneath the video player instead of buried in the description. On Shorts, the label will appear as an overlay on the video itself.
By contrast, clearly fictional animations and content with only light AI edits—such as basic corrections—will continue to carry labels in the description, which viewers must expand to see.
If the system mistakenly marks a standard video as AI-generated, creators will be able to adjust the video’s status in YouTube Studio.
Content made with YouTube’s own generative tools, such as Veo or Dream Screen, as well as material that includes C2PA metadata—the industry standard for certifying origin and production history—will retain an AI label permanently.
YouTube said the AI labels will not affect recommendation algorithms or a video’s eligibility for monetization.
As AI-generated material that can be hard to distinguish from human work spreads across platforms, companies are speeding up their responses. Spotify, for example, recently added automatic labeling for AI-generated audio.
This is not YouTube’s first move to curb monetization of AI content. In July 2025, the company revised its policies to limit monetization of certain mass-produced AI videos. Faced with an influx of low-quality AI clips that risked undermining trust in the service, YouTube has stepped up enforcement to safeguard content quality.
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