YouTube is expanding its AI similarity detection program to all users over the age of 18 — meaning almost anyone can search the platform for potential deepfakes about themselves.
The similarity detection feature uses a selfie-style scan of a person’s face to monitor lookalikes on YouTube. If there is a match, YouTube alerts the user; The person then has the option to request removal of the content from YouTube. YouTube previously said it found the number of removal requests to be “very low.”
YouTube began testing the feature with content creators, and then expanded it to government officials, politicians, journalists, and eventually the entertainment industry. The expansion is a significant change for any user 18 years of age or older – it essentially gives the average person the ability to constantly monitor content on YouTube that may be using their likeness. Removal requests are evaluated using YouTube’s privacy policy, and the company says it considers removals based on criteria such as whether the content is realistic, labeled as AI-generated, and whether an individual can be uniquely identified. Caricatures are meant for things like parody or satire, and the device only covers facial likeness, not other identifying characteristics like a person’s voice. Users can withdraw from the program and delete their data from YouTube.
The news was announced on YouTube’s Creator Forum, but spokesperson Jack Malone says there is no requirement to specify who qualifies as a “creator.”
“With this expansion, we’re making it clear that whether creators have been uploading to YouTube for a decade or are just starting out, they will have access to the same level of protection,” Malone said in an email.
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