YouTubers Say AI Is Editing Their Shorts Without Consent, YouTube Says ‘Running an Experiment’

YouTube might be using artificial intelligence (AI) to alter human-created Shorts videos, several content creators have claimed. YouTubers have complained that the AI-generated effects on their videos were being added without their express consent, and added that the streaming giant did not inform them about adding the said effect. YouTube has responded to the complaints and has acknowledged that certain Shorts were being edited using “traditional machine learning technology” as part of an ongoing experiment. However, the company maintained that no generative AI was used for this.

YouTube's New Experiment Uses Machine Learning to Improve Shorts' Quality

In a video (first spotted by BBC), YouTube content creator Rhett Shull showcased that his videos looked different when uploaded to YouTube compared to when uploaded on Instagram. Placing both videos side-by-side, he claimed that the one posted as Shorts appeared “smoothened,” and as if “an oil painting effect was added to his face.”

Shull is not the only one with this experience. A Reddit post from June 27, titled “YouTube Shorts are almost certainly being AI upscaled,” mentioned experiencing the same thing. The poster also shared screenshots of a video across different resolutions to claim that AI was being used to add and remove specific details.

In both cases, users noted that the faces were being smoothened, hair made to look sleeker, and wrinkles on shirts being erased. Both users called the practice of altering elements in their videos deceptive and malicious, due to the streaming platform not communicating these changes.

Rene Ritchie, YouTube's head of editorial and creator liaison, explained in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), “No GenAI, no upscaling. 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).”

Despite the explanation, several users commenting on the post claimed that the company was being deceptive by using “machine learning” instead of AI. However, Ritchie responded, “GenAI typically refers to technologies like transformers and large language models, which are relatively new. Upscaling typically refers to taking one resolution (like SD/480p) and making it look good at a higher resolution (like HD/1080p). This isn't using GenAI or doing any upscaling.”

“I did not consent to this.” Shull said in the YouTube video, adding, “The most important thing I have as a YouTube creator[..]is that you trust what I'm making, what I'm saying, and what I'm doing is truly me[..]Replacing or enhancing my work with some AI upscaling system not only erodes that trust with the audience, but it also erodes my trust in YouTube.”