YouTube is moving beyond voluntary AI disclosure to automatic detection and labeling of AI-generated content. Starting this month, the platform will use “new internal signals” to flag videos showing “significant photorealistic AI use.”
The system detects C2PA metadata indicating AI sources and Google watermarked tools like Veo. Creators can appeal incorrect labels, but those two triggers are permanent and non-appealable.
Previously, AI labels were hidden deep in video descriptions. Now they appear prominently: landscape videos show the tag below the player, while Shorts display an overlay at the bottom of the video.
However, animated AI content and videos with only minor AI elements will still only show labels in the expanded description. As AI video generation becomes more realistic, distinguishing real from synthetic content is becoming increasingly critical.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/google/2026/05/youtube-to-begin-automatically-labeling-ai-videos/