- In June, YouTube quietly rolled out an announcement stating it will now allow users to request the removal of an AI-generated video if it imitates them.
- Content creators will have 48 hours after receiving the complaint to take action. After that, YouTube will start its own review.
- Submission of a request does not guarantee video removal. It’s up to YouTube to decide whether the request for removal has legitimate grounds for concern or not.
YouTube unceremoniously rolled out a policy in June that will allow users to request the takedown of content that’s too similar to their face or voice. It’s an addition to YouTube’s existing privacy request process as part of its responsible AI Agenda.
It’s important to note that just submitting a request does not guarantee that the video will be taken down.
- Once a complaint has been received, the creator will have 48 hours to respond to it before YouTube starts its own review.
- During the review, it will consider whether the content has been disclosed as AI-generated or not.
- Then, it will check how similar the content is to the said user followed by a quick check on if the video could be a parody or satire.
- Since 2024 is a crucial election year, YouTube will also consider whether the accused AI video features a known personality in a scandalous situation or not.
- At the end of the review, if it’s decided that the content indeed violates user privacy, it will be taken down.
- All identifiable elements such as the title, description, and tags will also be removed along with it.
If a creator doesn’t want to completely take down a video, they will have the option to blur out the faces of the people in it so that they aren’t recognizable.
Turning the video status to private has not been accepted as a solution by YouTube because it believes a video can be made public at any given moment. This doesn’t offer a permanent solution to a user’s privacy concerns.
As far as the creator is concerned, they won’t face any penalty for videos removed owing to privacy concerns. YouTube specified that these violations are different from the violation of community guidelines and hence do not warrant a penalty.
‘For creators, if you receive notice of a privacy complaint, keep in mind that privacy guideline violations are separate from Community Guidelines strikes, and receiving a privacy complaint will not automatically result in a strike.’ – YouTube
However, it was also added that if a creator is repeatedly found simulating real-like people through AI, necessary actions will be taken.
YouTube’s Approach Towards AI
It’s important to note that YouTube is not against AI itself. In fact, the video-sharing platform has experimented with AI in the past.
- The platform launched the YouTube extension for Bard, which allows users to ask Google Bard questions about any video without pausing.
- YouTube also launched ‘Dream Track’ – an AI tool for voice cloning, which allows creators to mimic the voice of well-known artists.
However, these AI developments are protected by YouTube’s three core principles on AI technology. One of these involves protecting the original work of artists on the platform and ensuring they are paid for their hard work.
YouTube just wants AI to be handled safely and responsibly, as every company should. It believes that simply labeling content as AI isn’t going to spare it from the community guidelines of the platform.
It will still have to abide by all the rules. After all, that’s what keeps the platform safe and welcoming to all.
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