# Do you have to disclose AI-generated video on YouTube?

**Short answer:** Only when it looks realistic: YouTube requires creators to disclose AI-generated or altered content that seems realistic, such as making a real person appear to say or do something they did not. Non-realistic content made with AI, like animation or obvious fantasy, and minor edits do not need disclosure.

URL: https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/do-you-have-to-disclose-ai-generated-video-on-youtube
Updated: 2026-10-18

## The rule

YouTube requires creators to disclose AI-generated or altered content that seems realistic, for example content that makes a real person appear to say or do something they didn't do. Creators don't need to disclose non-realistic content made with AI, or minor edits to realistic content. (Source: YouTube Help, disclosing altered or synthetic content, https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491, checked 2026-10-18)

The disclosure is set in YouTube Studio under "AI use" during upload. Undisclosed realistic AI content can get a label added by YouTube, be removed, or lead to suspension from the YouTube Partner Program. (Source: YouTube Help, disclosing altered or synthetic content, https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491, checked 2026-10-18)

Disclosing AI content alone won't limit a video's audience or impact its eligibility to earn money. (Source: YouTube Help, disclosing altered or synthetic content, https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491, checked 2026-10-18)

## How it applies to AI dramas

Our reading of the rule for common AI video types:

| Content | Disclose? | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Painted or animated drama with invented characters | Not required | Non-realistic content made with AI |
| Photoreal drama with invented characters | Yes, to be safe | It can seem realistic |
| Anything showing a real person saying or doing something new | Yes, and check it is allowed at all | The rule's central example |
| Real footage with AI colour grading or upscaling | Usually not | Minor edits |

When in doubt, disclose. The label does not reduce reach or earnings according to YouTube, while leaving it off realistic content risks removal.

## Other platforms

TikTok, Instagram and short-drama apps have their own AI-labelling rules. We could not read TikTok's AI-content help page with our checker on 2026-10-18, so we do not summarise it; check each platform's current rules before you post.

## Avoid real faces

Separately from disclosure, avoid characters who resemble real people. Video models also block some of them: on one of our films, a character whose look read like a famous action star had about 5% of his shots blocked as a lookalike.

## Where Katechon Arc fits

Arc makes original characters from your own references and styles, which keeps your content in the invented-character category.

Arc does not set upload labels for you; disclosure happens on the platform when you upload.

## Related answers

- [Can you monetize AI-generated videos on YouTube?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/can-you-monetize-ai-videos-on-youtube): Yes, if the content is original: YouTube's monetization policies allow AI use that reflects your own creative voice, but channels whose…
- [How do you start an AI YouTube channel?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-to-start-an-ai-youtube-channel): Pick one kind of original story you can make repeatedly, produce it with a consistent cast and look, publish on a steady schedule with…
- [Why do AI video generations fail or get blocked?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/why-do-ai-video-generations-fail-or-get-blocked): Three different things look like a failure: transient job errors that pass on retry, content moderation that blocks an input or an output,…
- [How do you make AI video look less like AI?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-to-make-ai-video-look-less-ai): Pick one visual language and hold it everywhere, keep faces and places consistent with references, and put colour and lighting words on the…

## Sources

- YouTube Help, disclosing altered or synthetic content: [support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14328491), checked 2026-10-18