YouTube Admits to Secretly Using AI on Videos Without Creators’ Consent

eWeek content and product recommendations are
editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links
to our partners.
Learn More

YouTube has confirmed it is using AI to enhance some videos without notifying the creators who uploaded them. The company has not committed to stopping the practice or giving users a choice.

The admission follows accusations that first surfaced in June 2025, when YouTube creators began reporting unexplained changes to their videos.

How is YouTube using AI to enhance videos?

Rene Ritchie, creator liaison with YouTube, explained the platform’s usage of AI in a recent X post:

“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). YouTube is always working on ways to provide the best video quality and experience possible, and will continue to take creator and viewer feedback into consideration as we iterate and improve on these features.”

For many, Ritchie’s comparison with smartphone AI falls a little flat. If a creator chooses to use the native AI features in their device while recording video, then that’s their choice; however, creators currently don’t have any say when, or if, YouTube adds its own AI enhancements.

What videos are affected?

According to the confirmed reports thus far and Ritchie’s post, it appears that YouTube’s AI enhancements are only aimed at YouTube Shorts, which are short-form videos that are a maximum of 180 seconds. Other than that, it’s not clear what kind of criteria, if any, are used by YouTube to determine which videos receive AI treatment.

Two musicians, Rick Beato and Rhett Shull, have reported issues on their own channels. Other content creators have also noticed subtle AI enhancements on some of their recent videos.

It’s possible that some videos are being enhanced so subtly that they just haven’t been noticed by the original creators or their viewers. If that’s the case, we could see many more AI-enhanced videos coming to light in the following weeks.

What’s at stake for content creators?

Many creators see their videos as more than just simple entertainment; depending on the channel, they could be educational, journalistic, or artistic. Altering these videos without their permission not only risks a loss of trust between creators and the platform, but it could spark ethical or legal concerns regarding ownership, authenticity, and creative rights.

Read our coverage about YouTube’s recent message to creators that AI-generated content is fine, as long as it’s “authentic.”