YouTube is expanding its AI deepfake detection tool to include all adult users

YouTube is expanding its AI similarity detection program to include all users over the age of 18, meaning almost anyone can scour the platform for potential deepfakes of themselves.

Similarity detection uses a selfie-style scan of a person’s face to monitor YouTube for lookalikes. If there is a match, YouTube alerts the user; The person then has the option to ask YouTube to remove the content. YouTube has said in the past that it found the number of takedown requests to be “very small.”

YouTube has begun testing the feature With content creatorsand then Expanded For government officials, politicians, journalists, and finally Entertainment industry. Expanding to include any user 18 or older is a huge shift — it gives the average person the ability to constantly monitor content on YouTube that they can use similar to. Removal requests are evaluated using YouTube Privacy PolicyThe company says it considers removals based on criteria such as whether the content is realistic, whether it is labeled as generated by artificial intelligence, and whether a person can be uniquely identified. There are snippets for things like parody or satire, and the tool only covers the shape of a face, not other identifying features like a person’s voice. Users can opt out of the program and ask YouTube to delete their data.

It was the news Announce in the YouTube Creator Community, but spokesperson Jack Malone says there are no requirements on what constitutes a qualified “creator.”

“With this expansion, we are making 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.