The YouTube tag marking a video as AI-generated is as insignificant as the little "Sponsored" text in search ads.
I've taught my mother and her friends to check for that tag, but most, if not all, of the videos they share with me don't even have it. Even though they're clearly AI-generated.
If deception is something we want to prevent, and our parents can't tell real videos from fake ones, wouldn't it make sense to put a warning where it's actually effective? Just like movies have warnings beforehand, why not add one before these videos? It would take no more than two or three seconds, and it's entirely controlled by the platform. If someone is willing to watch the content after the warning, more power to them. But for those being deceived, this would actually help.
Those are the words YouTube places on videos where it detects AI, but they're buried somewhere in the description. Why not make that notice prominent when the video starts, the same way some videos open with a "Viewer discretion is advised" notice? On YouTube or whichever platform hosting the video, the warning is not embedding into the video, just displayed before. The uploader has no control over it.
While I know most people think AI videos are just fun or slop, but I argue that they can be harmful when they deceive us. They are a profitable vector for scammers, and despite YouTube's effort to curb it, they are actively promoting it in their creative studio.
If YouTube actually wants to prevent fraud and scams, they can do something about it. Let users know what they are about to watch.
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