AI alters YouTube content without consent

For the past months, YouTube has been using AI to make changes to people's videos without telling anyone. This appears in a recent statement from YouTube, posted on X after several people speculated online that something was going on. 

The alterations in question are small, but noticeable when looked at side-by-side. It could be a wrinkled shirt looking neater, or the skin looking clearer. 

“We're running an experiment on select YouTube Shorts that uses traditional machine learning technology to unblur, denoise, and improve clarity in videos during processing (similar to what a modern smartphone does when you record a video)”, they say. 

“YouTube is always working on ways to provide the best video quality and experience possible”, they continue. 

A creator on the platform, August Solheim, calls it “mystical and strange”. He’s been working as a producer for a popular Norwegian YouTube channel, besides posting videos on his own channel. 

“God knows what's going to happen next. What if they start cutting the video as well?”, he continues. 

Solheim is not the only YouTuber concerned about the alterations being made.

YouTuber Rhett Shull has also raised his concerns about the situation. In a recent YouTube video he shows his followers how exactly the AI has edited his videos. 

He was made aware of the situation by a fellow YouTuber. Soon after, he posted the video addressing his thoughts on the situation.

“If I wanted this terrible over-sharpening I would have done it myself. But the bigger thing is it looks AI-generated. I think that deeply misrepresents me and what I do and my voice on the internet. It could potentially erode the trust I have with my audience in a small way. It just bothers me,” he says. 

Belgian YouTuber, Emma Rox calls it "a shame". On her YouTube channel she posts travel content for her followers. 

“If they modify things without your consent it's completely crazy”, she says.