YouTube expands AI likeness detection tool to celebrities

In short: YouTube is expanding its “likeness detection” tool so celebrities and their representatives can find and request removal of AI-made deepfake videos.

What happened

YouTube said it is making its likeness detection technology available to people in the entertainment industry. That includes talent agencies, management companies, and the celebrities they represent.

The tool looks for videos that appear to use an enrolled person’s face, even if the video was made with AI. A “deepfake” is a video that makes it look like someone said or did something they never did, like a realistic movie edit made on a computer.

YouTube says the system works in a similar way to its Content ID tool. Content ID is YouTube’s long-running system for spotting copyrighted music or video in uploads, like a fingerprint match for media. Likeness detection is meant to do a similar kind of matching, but for faces.

Entertainment industry users do not need to run their own YouTube channels to use the tool. If a match is found, they can request removal under YouTube’s privacy rules, submit a copyright takedown request, or take no action. YouTube also said it will not remove everything, since it allows parody and satire.

YouTube said it plans to add audio support later, so it can also help with AI-made voice copies.

Why it matters

Fake celebrity videos are often used in scam ads and misleading posts, and they can spread quickly. Tools like this are meant to give public figures and their teams a clearer way to spot fakes and respond, before more people are fooled.

Source: TechCrunch AI