YouTube Accused Of Using AI To Alter Creators' Videos Without Consent

Complaints date back to June, when YouTube Shorts users began sharing closeups of odd-looking faces and body parts.

Google has been altering videos uploaded to YouTube Shorts with AI, drawing criticism from creators who say their work was manipulated without consent.

For months, some YouTubers said they have been noticing something strange about their videos. Faces, clothing and backgrounds look subtly off – sharper wrinkles, warped ears, skin that appeared both smoother and more defined in an unsettling, almost plastic way.

Now, the truth has come out. Google has been testing a video enhancement feature on YouTube Shorts that uses AI to alter creators' work. However, the rollout was done without notifying uploaders or giving them the option to opt out.

Rick Beato, a music YouTuber with over five million subscribers, expressed his surprise to the BBC, saying his own face looked "strange."

"I was like 'man, my hair looks strange'," he said. "And the closer I looked it almost seemed like I was wearing makeup."

Beato had nearly dismissed the oddities as imagination until his fellow creator Rhett Shull noticed similar distortions. Shull's resulting video exposing the changes has already garnered over 500,000 views.

"If I wanted this terrible over-sharpening I would have done it myself," Shull commented.

"But the bigger thing is it looks AI-generated. I think that deeply misrepresents me and what I do and my voice on the internet. It could potentially erode the trust I have with my audience in a small way. It just bothers me."

Complaints date back to June, when Shorts users began sharing closeups of odd-looking faces and body parts. Speculations quickly swirled online about hidden AI manipulation.

Rene Ritchie, YouTube's head of editorial, wrote on X that the video enhancement does not use generative AI but "traditional machine learning" techniques to sharpen images, reduce blur, and cut noise, similar to modern smartphone video recording technology.

He added that YouTube is continually "working on ways to provide the best video quality and experience" while taking creator feedback seriously.

Despite this explanation, criticism remains fierce.

Samuel Woolley, who holds the Dietrich Chair of disinformation studies at the University of Pittsburgh, argued that YouTube's wording is misleading, stating, "Machine learning is in fact a subfield of artificial intelligence."

Woolley believes the company is downplaying its use of AI due to widespread concerns. More importantly, he condemns YouTube for altering creators' work without transparency or consent.

Jill Walker Rettberg, professor at the Centre for Digital Narrative at the University of Bergen, warned this controversy reflects a broader shift in how reality is mediated and manipulated through technology.

The incident follows a troubling pattern of AI reshaping media without full disclosure. Earlier this year, Netflix faced backlash for AI "remasters" of 1980s sitcoms like The Cosby Show, which produced surreal distortions and glitches.

Similarly, Samsung was caught enhancing lunar photos with AI, and Google Pixel devices already offer AI-driven "Best Take" features that stitch together photos to create artificial smiles.

Google's new Pixel 10 even embraces generative AI for extraordinary 100x zoom images, far beyond physical hardware limits.

This article originally appeared on our sister site Computing.