The YouTube AI Disclosure Checklist
When you have to disclose, what to record, and the check to run before every upload.
This organizes the rules in plain language — it is not legal advice. Platform policies change; always confirm against YouTube's current Help pages before relying on it.
The one-minute version
YouTube requires you to tick the “Altered content” disclosure in YouTube Studio when your video contains AI-generated or heavily edited material that a viewer could mistake for real. Realistic means disclose. Obviously animated or fantasy content generally doesn't. Failing to disclose realistic synthetic content can lead YouTube to apply the label for you — and repeated failures put the channel you monetize at risk.
Part 1 — Does this video need disclosure?
Ask three questions about anything AI-made or AI-altered in the video.
Voice clones of real people, face swaps, synthetic dialogue in a real person's voice → DISCLOSE. (Your own cloned voice reading your own script, presented as you: still safest to disclose if it sounds real.)
AI-modified news footage, a real location made to look different, fabricated “footage” of real events → DISCLOSE.
Photorealistic AI video of a storm, a crowd, a city street — anything a reasonable viewer would take as filmed → DISCLOSE.
Generally NOT required (verify current policy)
- Clearly animated or fantasy content
- Obvious stylization, color correction, beauty filters, background blur
- AI used only for production help — scripts, captions, idea generation
- Synthetic voices that are obviously character voices in an animated work
The honest gray zone: stylized-but-realistic AI video (photoreal b-roll, AI narrators that sound human in a live-action-style video). When in doubt, tick the box — a label costs you almost nothing; a missing one can cost trust and penalties.
Part 2 — The record that saves you later
For every video, keep one row per asset:
| Asset | Made how? | Tool / model | Realistic? | Disclosed? | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scene 4 b-roll | AI video | tool + date | yes | yes | generation log |
| Narration | AI voice clone (my own voice) | tool | yes | yes | consent note, ref clip |
| Thumbnail bg | AI image | tool | no (stylized) | n/a | file + prompt |
| Music bed | licensed track | library | — | — | license / receipt |
Why bother? Because disputes, demonetization reviews and sponsor questions arrive months later — when you've long forgotten which of the 200 files in that project were AI. Five minutes at upload time beats an afternoon of panic archaeology.
Part 3 — Upload-day checklist
- Every AI-made or AI-altered asset is listed in your record
- The three questions answered — Altered content ticked if any “yes”
- Voice clones: consent noted (yours = a dated note; anyone else's = written permission)
- Music, SFX and stock: license evidence saved with the project, not just in your inbox
- Description credits added where a license requires attribution
- Your record archived alongside the project files
RightsVault does this automatically
It scans your project, tracks which assets are AI-generated, stores the evidence beside
them, and generates the disclosure record and credits for every upload. Waitlist members get launch
pricing — $59 $39, one-time.