YouTube Is Developing Tools to Identify AI-generated Images and Music

The platform is intensifying its efforts against visual and musical deepfakes.

Olly Curtis/ Future/ Getty Images

YouTube is diligently engaged in identifying AI-generated videos uploaded to its platform. The company has announced the development of two new AI tools: one for detecting AI-produced music and another for identifying generated faces.

The company designates the music detection tool as their “synthetic-singing identification technology,” which identifies tracks that are deepfakes, including the viral (yet fabricated) duet between Drake and The Weeknd. The technology will apparently be accessible solely to individuals enrolled in Content ID, a program designed for copyright holders to identify and manage intellectual content.

The second tool will enable individuals across all sectors, from athletes to artists, to identify AI-generated content featuring their likenesses.

YouTube reports that it handles billions of claims through Content ID annually, a figure expected to increase as access to generative AI tools expands.