YouTube Altered or Synthetic Content: When to Tick Yes?
What YouTube says you must disclose, what you can skip, where the label appears and when YouTube adds one for you.
4 min read
Summary
YouTube altered or synthetic content has to be disclosed when it looks realistic: a real person appearing to say or do something they did not, altered footage of a real event or place, a realistic scene that never happened, or AI music that is the main focus. You disclose it in YouTube Studio under AI use while uploading.
What counts as altered or synthetic content on YouTube?
YouTube Help says creators must disclose GenAI content that:
- makes a real person appear to say or do something they did not do
- alters footage of a real event or place
- generates a realistic scene that did not actually occur
- creates music that is the main focus of the video
That covers content fully or partly made with AI tools. YouTube's own examples that need a disclosure include AI-generated music, AI-generated extra footage of a real place, a realistic AI match between two real professional tennis players, and making it look like a real person has been arrested.
What doesn't need a disclosure?
Two groups are exempt: content that is clearly not realistic, and minor edits. YouTube's examples:
- Not realistic: someone riding a unicorn through a fantasy world, a green-screen float through space, or an AI animation of a missile in a fully animated video
- Minor or production help: beauty, colour and lighting filters, background blur, using AI for an outline, script, thumbnail, title or infographic, caption creation, video sharpening or upscaling, idea generation, gameplay footage, and cloning your own voice for voice-overs or dubs
That last point matters for faceless channels: an AI clone of your own voice is on YouTube's no-disclosure list.
How do you disclose AI use in YouTube Studio?
- Go to YouTube Studio.
- Start uploading your video.
- In the Attributes section, under AI use, choose Yes if the content meets the rules above, or No if not.
- Carry on with the other video details.
YouTube's 2024 announcement called this the altered or synthetic content tool. The current help page names the field AI use.
Where does the AI label appear?
YouTube's May 2026 blog post says photorealistic or meaningfully AI-altered content now gets one label format: directly below the player, above the description, on long-form videos, and as an overlay on Shorts. For unrealistic, animated or slightly altered content, the disclosure sits in the expanded description, in the How this content was made section.
Does disclosing AI hurt views or monetisation?
YouTube Help says disclosing AI content alone will not limit a video's audience or affect its eligibility to earn money.
Can YouTube add an AI label without you?
Yes. YouTube Help says it may apply a label automatically to content made with YouTube's own GenAI tools, content carrying C2PA metadata, and content its systems detect as AI-generated or altered. You get a notification in YouTube Studio when that happens. If it is a mistake, you can usually switch the AI use answer to No, but labels from YouTube's AI tools, C2PA data or a manual review cannot be changed.
What happens if you don't disclose?
YouTube Help warns that creators who consistently fail to disclose may get a label applied manually, or face penalties including content removal or suspension from the YouTube Partner Program.
FAQ
Do I need to disclose an AI clone of my own voice? No. YouTube lists cloning your own voice for voice-overs or dubs among edits that do not need a disclosure.
Do AI-made thumbnails or scripts need a disclosure? No. YouTube treats them as production assistance.
Do animated AI videos need the label? Not when they are clearly unrealistic. If you do disclose, the label appears in the expanded description rather than on the player.
Related
- Best AI video generators for YouTube
- How to start a faceless YouTube channel
- How to turn off YouTube auto dubbing
Sources
Lab evidence
What I found running this
Checked on 22 Oct 2026 against YouTube Help's 'Disclosing use of GenAI content' and 'How this content was made' pages, YouTube's May 2026 blog post on improved AI labels, and the original 2024 disclosure announcement. Rules and examples are quoted as published there. No video was uploaded and no disclosure was tested in a live YouTube Studio account for this post, and this is not legal advice.
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