YouTube Rolls Out AI Likeness Detection Tool to Prevent Deepfakes

YouTube today began rolling out a new AI likeness detection feature, which lets creators detect, manage, and request the removal of unauthorized videos that use AI to generate or alter the creator's facial likeness.

General YouTube Feature Redux
According to YouTube, the feature is meant to safeguard identities and prevent audiences from being misled by deepfakes.

The likeness detection tool is available in YouTube Studio under a content detection tab. After completing an identity verification process that requires a photo ID and a selfie video, creators will be alerted if there are any AI-generated videos that use their likeness. YouTube Studio will show a list of videos with titles, channel, views, and dialogue, along with an option to request a removal.

The tool supports likeness removal requests for AI videos, and copyright removal requests in case someone has used copyright-protected content without permission.

YouTube creators that are members of the YouTube Partner Program will get access to the likeness detection tool over the next few months. In a statement to TheWrap, YouTube said that the first creators selected to use the feature are those that "may have the most immediate use for the tool." All monetized creators will have access by January 2026.

Tag: YouTube

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Top Rated Comments

MacUserFella Avatar
14 weeks ago
But they can’t stop bot comments?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
14 weeks ago
why stop at deepfakes? how about notification that AI has been used to create/modify a video?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
14 weeks ago
Ok. Can they do something about THIS nonsense next, please.
We tightly control access for our five year old, but she does have a Fire Kids tablet for road trips and games as a reward. Somehow THIS popped up despite being logged into her YT Kids account with restrictions applied, and it took an hour to calm her down and explain how AI isn’t real and those weren’t real puppies, and several discussions since about what was wrong with them being black. Fun times. We’ve been discussing ways to remove her access to YT without it feeling like a punishment because she did something wrong, because neither of us trust anything Google has to say given AI content was supposed to be blocked on Kids accounts.

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sleeptodream Avatar
14 weeks ago
Very nice. They should have this for everyone that wants it, not just monetized youtubers
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SpotOnT Avatar
14 weeks ago
Anything produced with AI should be legally required to contain a digital watermark.

Then let people have away with whatever deepfakes they want. Everyone will know it is just an animation.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiVolt Avatar
14 weeks ago

why stop at deepfakes? how about notification that AI has been used to create/modify a video?
Or being able to simply block those videos? But youtube loves making money off them so that will never happen.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)