What this guide helps you do
Decide when to disclose AI-generated content on YouTube
Key takeaways
- Use YouTube's current official guidance, not a remembered summary.
- Assess realistic scenes and voices individually.
- Disclosure is part of transparency, not a substitute for factual or rights review.
Film evidence
Make the disclosure decision against the actual scene
A realistic eruption reconstruction could be mistaken for recorded footage if it appears without context. Review the finished frames, narration, title, thumbnail, description, and surrounding edit rather than deciding from the production tool alone. Materiality depends on what the content depicts and what a reasonable viewer may believe.
Document the decision with the synthetic scene, risk, chosen YouTube disclosure setting, and any additional editorial label. A platform toggle may be necessary but not always sufficient for historical clarity. Keep the note close to the audience experience, especially when a generated image imitates archival texture or depicts a real person or event.
Pompeii: Vesuvius Erupts · 01:01 · Historical reconstruction. This is a finished first-party Onira production, not customer proof or archive footage.
View the full film and production notesWhat to watch for
- Scenes likely to be mistaken for authentic recordings
- Title and thumbnail that do not overstate provenance
- A dated record of the disclosure decision and reviewer
Section 1
Ask whether the content appears realistic
Begin with how a reasonable viewer may interpret the finished scene, not with how the asset was generated. A photorealistic reconstruction of a real battle, a cloned voice of a public figure, or an altered view of a real place can carry a different risk from a clearly fantastical illustration.
Review the current YouTube help page because the platform supplies the controlling examples and exceptions. Preserve the URL and review date in the project's publication notes.
- +Could the viewer mistake the scene for real footage?
- +Does it depict a real person doing or saying something?
- +Does it materially alter a real event or place?
Section 2
Review documentary reconstructions carefully
History and cultural-heritage films often reconstruct real settings and events. Even when the narration uses past tense and the creator intends illustration, cinematic realism may imply that a camera recorded the moment.
Use on-screen or descriptive context where it improves viewer understanding, and make the platform disclosure decision explicitly. Never add fake archive defects, logos, timestamps, or document treatments merely to make generated material appear authentic.
- +Identify every realistic reconstruction in the timeline.
- +Do not present generation as archival evidence.
- +Keep an intervention and disclosure record.
Section 3
Check voice, likeness, and sensitive subjects
A realistic synthetic voice or likeness can create privacy, publicity, defamation, and platform risks beyond the disclosure control itself. Confirm consent or other lawful basis where required and avoid attributing words or actions that the evidence does not support.
Current events, elections, health, finance, conflict, crime, and living people deserve heightened editorial and legal care. For high-risk publication decisions, seek qualified advice rather than relying on a general guide.
- +Consent and rights for recognizable people or voices.
- +No fabricated quote or evidentiary implication.
- +Escalation path for sensitive or high-impact topics.
Section 4
Record the final publication decision
Before upload, record whether disclosure is required, who reviewed the decision, which scenes, voices, or generated music triggered it, and what additional context appears in the video or description. Revisit the decision if picture or sound changes.
Then complete the separate checks for factual support, rights, metadata, and monetization policy. A disclosed video can still be misleading, infringing, repetitive, or otherwise ineligible.
- +Reviewer and date.
- +Affected scenes and rationale.
- +Platform setting and viewer-facing context.
Working standard
Publication checklist
- 01The current YouTube disclosure guidance has been opened and reviewed.
- 02Every realistic generated or altered scene is identified.
- 03Synthetic music and material voice generation are included in the review.
- 04Real people, voices, places, and events receive heightened review.
- 05Reconstruction is not presented as archive footage or evidence.
- 06The disclosure decision, reviewer, and rationale are recorded.
- 07Factual, rights, and monetization checks are completed separately.
Primary references
Sources and further reading
Policy and model capabilities change. These sources were reviewed on July 11, 2026; open the current official page before making a production or publication decision.
Related production guides
Questions
Does every use of AI need disclosure on YouTube?
YouTube's guidance distinguishes realistic altered or synthetic content from minor assistance and clearly unrealistic material. Review the current official examples for the specific production.
Do AI historical reconstructions need disclosure?
A realistic reconstruction of a real place or event can warrant disclosure when viewers could mistake it for authentic footage. Assess the finished scene under YouTube's current guidance.
Does Onira set the YouTube disclosure flag?
No. Onira delivers an MP4 for review. The creator controls the upload, metadata, and disclosure decision in YouTube Studio.