New YouTube policy targets AI content that simulates people's face or voice

YouTube is introducing a new tool to help combat deep fakes and AI-generated content

• 🤖 YouTube is rolling out a policy change to combat AI-generated content

• 😖 Users who have their likeness or voice stolen can file a takedown complaint

• 🤔 AI-generated content has become more and more convincing

• 👏 The policy change comes shortly after YouTube announced a community notes-like feature

With each passing month, AI-generated content is getting more sophisticated, making deep fakes all the more convincing. It’s posed a new problem for platforms to tackle as they attempt to stop disinformation from spreading, especially during the election season.

To combat the issue, YouTube quietly introduced a new policy change in June (thanks, TechCrunch) that lets users request a takedown of AI-generated or other synthetic content that simulates their face or voice.

“If someone has used AI to alter or create synthetic content that looks or sounds like you, you can ask for it to be removed,” reads the new policy on YouTube’s support page. “In order to qualify for removal, the content should depict a realistic altered or synthetic version of your likeness.”

If a request is submitted, the creator has 48 hours to act on the complaint. If it’s not been addressed during that window, YouTube will review it. YouTube will consider whether the content is a parody or satire, which could make claims more tricky.

You’ll have seen countless clips of Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and others speaking words they would genuinely never say online, but sometimes it isn’t always obvious that what you’re seeing is a deep fake.

Some people aren’t as good at spotting deep fakes as others, and it’s only going to get harder as AI becomes more advanced. Thankfully, YouTube’s policy should provide those whose likeness has been stolen to get content taken down if it breaches its guidelines.

This new policy should also stop bad actors from using people’s voices and likenesses for profit. In addition to the new policy, YouTube recently announced that it’ll soon borrow one of X’s best features in the form of community notes, letting users and an algorithm highlight additional information that may be relevant to viewers.

Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.