{"id":105854,"date":"2025-08-29T10:37:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T09:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=105854"},"modified":"2025-08-29T12:48:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T11:48:25","slug":"youtube-has-been-quietly-editing-creators-videos-with-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/youtube-has-been-quietly-editing-creators-videos-with-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"YouTube has been quietly editing creators\u2019 videos with AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 style=\"user-select: auto;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff; user-select: auto;\">YouTube admits to altering Shorts with AI without telling creators or asking permission.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3>What\u2019s been happening on YouTube Shorts?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>YouTube has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/future\/article\/20250822-youtube-is-using-ai-to-edit-videos-without-permission\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">secretly been editing some Shorts with AI<\/a>, and creators weren\u2019t told about it. The undisclosed changes have been spotted by June, with creators noticing: artificially smooth skin, clothes wrinkles looking exaggerated, and even facial features appearing distorted. For example, music commentator Rick Beato noticed that his hair looked \u201cstrange\u201d and his face looked as if he was wearing makeup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, YouTube\u2019s head of editorial and creator liaison Rene Ritchie has confirmed that YouTube had been testing new processing techniques to a limited number of <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/using-youtube-shorts-as-an-artist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shorts <\/a>uploads.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No GenAI, no upscaling. We&#8217;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)<br \/><br \/>YouTube is always\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vrojrRGwNw\">https:\/\/t.co\/vrojrRGwNw<\/a><\/p>\u2014 YouTube Liaison (@YouTubeInsider) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YouTubeInsider\/status\/1958199532363317467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 20, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3>Why this matters for creators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The edits may seem subtle, but they\u2019ve hit a nerve. For creators, the issue isn\u2019t just about bad editing, it\u2019s about content control. Rhett Shull, another music YouTuber, said he was frustrated because the alterations made his content look AI-generated. In his words: if he wanted \u201cterrible over-sharpening,\u201d he would\u2019ve added it himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube Is Using AI to Alter Content (and not telling us)\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/86nhP8tvbLY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The bigger concern is trust. When YouTube changes how someone looks or how their work appears, Shull is worried that it risks damaging the bond between creators and their audiences. In a space where authenticity is everything, even a small AI tweak can feel like a big deal for creators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>YouTube\u2019s explanation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>YouTube compared the changes to the way modern smartphones enhance photos automatically. It distanced itself from generative AI, by calling it \u201ctraditional machine learning\u201d. In other words, it\u2019s just tweaking what\u2019s already there as opposed to creating entirely new content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, critics argue that this wording simply downplays the problem. Whether or not it\u2019s generative AI, it\u2019s still using AI to edit creators\u2019 content without even being told or asking permission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>The bigger picture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This experiment fits into a larger trend, whereby AI is quietly shaping the media we consume before it ever reaches us. While some creators are less bothered by YouTube\u2019s antics (including Rick Beato who claims YouTube changed his life), some are left wondering what else is happening to their content behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So far, YouTube hasn\u2019t said whether creators will be able to opt out of these AI edits in the future. If YouTube keeps altering content without asking, it will only raise more questions of trust, control, and authenticity between YouTube, creators, and their audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Edit: YouTube has now <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/YouTubeInsider\/status\/1960385244747719046\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">confirmed they&#8217;re working on an opt-out<\/a> for the feature)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/using-youtube-shorts-as-an-artist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Use a distributor you can trust to get your music onto Shorts and other streaming platforms. With RouteNote you distribute your music for free to major streaming services today!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>YouTube admits to altering Shorts with AI without telling creators or asking permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":105855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,6628],"tags":[23669,23886,7613,70,30498,13147],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.4.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>YouTube has been quietly editing creators\u2019 videos with AI - RouteNote Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/youtube-has-been-quietly-editing-creators-videos-with-ai\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"YouTube has been quietly editing creators\u2019 videos with AI - 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