YouTube AI content policy: what's allowed, what to disclose

YouTube allows AI-generated videos. Its policy requires you to disclose content that is AI-generated or meaningfully altered with AI when it looks realistic, using the "AI use" setting in YouTube Studio or status.containsSyntheticMedia when you upload through the API. Getting paid is a separate question: YouTube's monetization policies exclude mass-produced, templated AI content.

The rules below are quoted from YouTube Help's Disclosing use of GenAI content and channel monetization policies pages and the Data API's Videos resource; the Sume part comes from its Jobs and results docs and Terms. All were read on 2026-09-28.

When do I have to disclose AI content on YouTube?

When it looks real. YouTube requires disclosure of AI content that makes a real person appear to say or do something they didn't do, alters footage of a real event or place, or generates a realistic scene that didn't actually occur. Non-realistic content and minor edits don't need it. YouTube's own examples:

How do I mark a video as AI-generated?

In YouTube Studio, disclose during upload: in the Attributes section, under "AI use", choose Yes if the content meets the requirements or No if not. YouTube then adds a label, which may appear in the video player for photorealistic content and in the expanded description for non-photorealistic or animated content. YouTube says disclosing won't limit a video's audience or its eligibility to earn money.

When a script uploads the video, set status.containsSyntheticMedia in the videos.insert or videos.update request. The Videos resource defines it as a boolean that lets the channel owner disclose realistic altered or synthetic content:

{
  "snippet": { "title": "A day at the harbor", "description": "Made with AI." },
  "status": {
    "privacyStatus": "private",
    "containsSyntheticMedia": true
  }
}

Can YouTube label my video as AI without me?

Yes. YouTube may apply an AI label automatically to content made with YouTube's own generative AI tools, content that contains C2PA metadata, and content its internal systems detect as AI generated or altered. You get a notification in YouTube Studio. In most cases you can undo an error by answering No in the AI disclosure survey under Attributes, but not for YouTube-tool content, C2PA content or labels applied after manual review.

Skipping disclosure has a cost: YouTube says creators who consistently don't disclose may get a label applied manually or penalties, including removal of content or suspension from the YouTube Partner Program.

Can I monetize AI-generated videos on YouTube?

AI use alone doesn't decide it; originality does. On July 15, 2025 YouTube renamed its "repetitious content" policy to "inauthentic content" and clarified that it covers repetitive or mass-produced content. These are YouTube's examples:

• Not allowed to monetize: AI-generated content made with generic or unoriginal templates, giving the impression of mass production without the creator's own insights or perspective.
• Not allowed: videos that stitch together unrelated or inconsistent AI clips to surprise or shock viewers.
• Not allowed: AI personas presented as human experts giving advice on health, legal issues, finances or politics.
• Allowed: using AI to visualize a unique character and narrative you invented, or to generate a unique background visual for your content.
• If you use automated tools or templates, YouTube says the final product must still show your creative vision and provide educational or entertainment value.

What does this mean for videos made with Sume?

Sume's Terms say generated outputs are synthetic and should not be treated as a factual record of real people or events, and that you review outputs before publication. They also require permission to use any person's likeness or voice you submit, and forbid using Sume to mislead people about the authenticity of generated media.

Sume outputs built around a realistic person include avatar videos from POST /v1/avatar-1.0/talking-video, and Avatar Face Swap, a Beta endpoint that applies an avatar face onto a source video. Sume's docs don't say whether its files carry C2PA metadata, so don't count on an automatic label: if a video meets YouTube's criteria, answer Yes under "AI use" yourself. For scripted uploads, read the public media.sume.com video artifact from the completed job's GET /v1/jobs/{id}/result, download it, and send it with the flag above; Automate YouTube Shorts with AI has the upload code.