cogloom · Free lesson
The big idea: YouTube requires creators to tell viewers when a realistic-looking video was made or meaningfully changed with AI. That shows up as a label. Knowing where to look takes 10 seconds.
Where to look: 1. Open the video and tap or click the description to expand it. 2. Look for a section called "How this content was made." If it says "Made with AI," the video contains content that was meaningfully altered or synthetically generated. 3. On some videos, especially Shorts or photorealistic content, a label may also appear on or right below the video player.
What YouTube says counts: making a real person appear to say or do something they didn't, altering footage of real events or places, or showing a realistic scene that never happened.
What the label does NOT tell you: - No label is not proof a video is real. The system relies largely on creators disclosing. YouTube says it may add a label automatically when its systems detect AI, and that it can penalise creators who keep failing to disclose. That means some AI videos may still have no label. - Clearly unrealistic or animated content, and minor edits such as beauty filters, may not get the prominent label.
Do this now: next time a video seems shocking, expand the description and look for "How this content was made" before you share it.
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