The short version
The big video platforms do not ask you to label every video that used AI somewhere in its making. They ask you to label video that a viewer could mistake for real. That one test explains most of their rules.
- Realistic people who do not exist: label it.
- A real person's face, body or voice made or changed by AI: label it, and get their permission first.
- Realistic events or places that did not happen, or real footage changed to show something that did not happen: label it.
- Animation, stylized or clearly unrealistic visuals: generally no label required.
- AI help with the script, edit, captions or sound cleanup: generally no label required.
This page explains how YouTube, TikTok and Meta (Instagram and Facebook) describe their rules as of 2026, where each platform's setting lives, and what the checker does with your answers. It is not legal advice. Platform policies changed several times between 2023 and 2026 and will change again, so open each platform's current policy page before you post. For anything involving a real person's likeness or voice, have an entertainment lawyer review your permissions.
How the platforms decide what needs a label
The three platforms word their rules differently, but they share a common idea: disclosure exists so viewers are not misled about whether something really happened, or whether a real person really said or did something.
| What AI made or changed | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram and Facebook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Realistic people who do not exist | Disclose | Label | Label |
| A real person's face, body or voice | Disclose, and the person can request removal | Label, and guidelines restrict it | Label |
| Realistic events or places, or altered real footage | Disclose | Label | Label |
| Animation or clearly unrealistic visuals | Not required | Not required | Not required |
| Help with script, editing, captions or cleanup | Not required | Not required | Not required |
"Not required" means the platform's disclosure rule is not aimed at that kind of content. You can still add a label voluntarily on all three platforms, and many creators do.
YouTube: altered or synthetic content
YouTube asks creators to disclose content that is meaningfully altered or synthetically generated when it seems realistic. Its help pages give three kinds of examples that need disclosure:
- Making a real person appear to say or do something they did not say or do.
- Altering footage of a real event or place.
- Generating a realistic-looking scene that did not actually happen.
YouTube also lists uses that do not need disclosure. These include content that is clearly unrealistic, such as someone riding a unicorn through a fantasy world; minor changes such as color adjustment, beauty filters or special-effects filters; and production help, such as using AI on a video outline, script, title or thumbnail, or to create captions. The list also includes cloning your own voice for voice-overs or dubs. That matters to an author who narrates their own work: on YouTube, a copy of your own voice used that way does not need the label.
Where to set it on YouTube
The disclosure is part of the upload flow in YouTube Studio. In the Attributes section there is a question called AI use. Answer Yes if your video contains the kinds of realistic content listed above, and No if it does not. The answer can also be changed later from the video's details in YouTube Studio.
What viewers see
YouTube's help page says the label appears in the video player for photorealistic content, and in the expanded description for animated or other content that is not photorealistic. YouTube also says it may apply an AI label on its own: to content made with its own AI tools, to files that carry C2PA metadata (Content Credentials, explained in the TikTok section below), and to content its systems detect as made or altered with AI.
What happens if you do not disclose
YouTube says creators who consistently choose not to disclose may have a label applied by YouTube, or face penalties, including content removal and suspension from the YouTube Partner Program, which is the program that lets channels earn money from ads.
Separately, YouTube has a privacy complaint process that lets a person ask for removal of AI-generated or altered content that simulates them, including their face or voice. A disclosure label does not protect a video from that process.
TikTok: the AI-generated content label
TikTok requires creators to label AI-generated content that contains realistic images, audio or video. TikTok calls this AIGC, short for AI-generated content. The label tells viewers the content was made or significantly edited with AI.
Where to set it on TikTok
Before posting, open the post's settings (under More options) and switch on the AI-generated content setting. TikTok can also apply the label automatically. It reads Content Credentials, a metadata standard from the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) that some creative software attaches to files to record that AI was used. If your exported file carries that metadata, TikTok may label the post even if you forget to.
What TikTok restricts, label or not
TikTok's Community Guidelines go further than a label. They restrict AI-generated content that shows real people. They do not allow AI-made likenesses of anyone under 18, or of adult private individuals used without their permission, and they restrict AI content that falsely shows public figures making or receiving an endorsement, or in other misleading situations. Content that misleads people about matters of public importance can be removed or limited even when it is labeled. The relevant section of the guidelines covers edited media and AI-generated content; read the current version before you post anything involving a real person.
Meta: the AI info label on Instagram and Facebook
Meta, which runs Instagram, Facebook and Threads, labels AI content with a tag that viewers see as AI info. Meta requires people to use its disclosure tool when they post organic content with photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that was digitally created or altered, and it says it may apply penalties when people fail to do so.
Where to set it on Instagram and Facebook
When you share a post or reel, switch on Add AI label on the sharing screen. Meta places these settings in slightly different menus on each app and has moved them before, so look for the AI label option on the final screen before you share.
Labels Meta adds itself
Meta also labels content automatically when it detects industry-standard signals that a file was made with AI, such as Content Credentials and similar metadata. For content that creates a particularly high risk of misleading the public on a matter of importance, Meta may add a more prominent label.
Advertising is stricter
If you promote the film with paid ads about social issues, elections or politics, Meta has a separate rule: advertisers must disclose when such an ad contains a photorealistic image or video, or realistic-sounding audio, that was digitally created or altered to show a real person saying or doing something they did not, a realistic person or event that does not exist or did not happen, or altered footage of a real event. A book-to-film trailer is not usually a political ad, but if your story touches on an election or a public controversy and you run ads, check Meta's current advertising standards.
Other places your film may appear
Your film may also go to festivals, streaming distributors, other video sites or your own website. The checker covers them with one general row, because the rules vary so widely.
- Other video platforms. Most large platforms now publish a policy on synthetic or manipulated media. Look for a disclosure setting on the upload form.
- Festivals. Some festivals ask on the entry form whether AI was used, and how. Answer accurately, and keep the shot record described below so you can back up the answer if the festival asks.
- Distributors and streaming services. Delivery paperwork may ask you to declare AI use and to confirm you hold the rights to everything in the film, including any likeness or voice.
- Laws that apply where the film is shown. The European Union's AI Act sets transparency duties in Article 50 that apply from 2 August 2026. Anyone who uses AI to make a deepfake, meaning image, audio or video that resembles real people, places or events and could falsely appear real, must disclose that it was made or changed with AI. When the content is part of an evidently artistic, creative, satirical or fictional work, the duty is lighter: disclose that such content is there in a way that does not spoil the work. If you publish to European audiences, check how this applies to you with a lawyer.
A real person's face or voice is a separate question
A label answers one question: does the viewer know how the video was made? It does not answer a second question: do you have the right to use this person's likeness or voice? That is why the checker returns a failure, not a warning, when AI was used on a real person's face, body or voice and you do not have written permission.
In the United States, many states protect a person's name, likeness and in some cases voice against commercial use without permission. These are often called right of publicity laws. Tennessee's ELVIS Act, signed in March 2024 and in force since July 2024, for example, added explicit protection for a person's voice, including simulated voices. Rules for public figures, private individuals and people who have died differ from place to place, and a deceased person's rights may be controlled by their estate.
For a book-to-film project, this comes up in three ways:
- Memoir and biography. If the book is about real people, a film that recreates them with AI raises likeness questions as well as the life-rights questions any adaptation of a true story raises.
- Historical fiction. A novel that places real historical figures in invented scenes may be fine as prose and still need care on screen, especially if AI recreates a recognizable face or voice.
- Voice. An AI voice that sounds like a specific real narrator, actor or public figure is a likeness question even if no face appears.
The checker asks whether you have written permission from the person or whoever controls their rights. If you do, it still marks the risk as medium and lists the labels you need. If you do not, it tells you to stop and get permission or replace the likeness. In either case, have an entertainment lawyer review the permission. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
When a real person appears without AI
If an actor plays a real person and AI was not used on their likeness, the AI labels do not apply. The checker says so, and still adds a checklist line about permission, because portraying a real person can raise likeness and life-rights questions that have nothing to do with AI.
How the checker reads your answers
The checker works through your answers in a fixed order, so you can predict its result.
- Where you will post. If nothing is ticked, it asks you to pick at least one place, because every platform has its own setting.
- Whether anything is realistic. Realistic people who do not exist, a real person's face, body or voice, and realistic events or places all count as realistic. Animation and AI help with writing or editing do not.
- Whether a real person's likeness was made or changed with AI, and whether you have permission. A likeness without permission is a failure, whatever else is true.
- Which platforms expect a label. Every ticked platform gets a row in the table, with whether a label is expected, where to set it, and why.
- Whether the topic is sensitive. News, elections, health and money raise the risk level and add notes about more prominent labels and advertising rules.
The result has a verdict, four metrics (platforms checked, labels to turn on, whether the content is realistic, and a risk level), the platform table, a checklist and a short list of next steps. A warning means there is something to switch on before you post. A pass means the platforms' labeling rules do not reach your content as described. A failure means a label alone will not make the post acceptable.
The risk level is a plain summary, not a score. High means a real person's likeness is used without permission. Medium means a real likeness is used with permission, or realistic content touches a sensitive topic. Low means the content is either not realistic or will be correctly labeled.
Worked example 1: a novel adaptation with realistic AI characters
The checker opens with an illustrative case. An author has adapted a novel into a short film. The characters are invented, but they were made with AI and look like real people. The film, a trailer and some clips will go to YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. No real person appears, and the story does not touch news, elections, health or money.
Here is how the checker reasons through it.
- Is any content realistic? Yes. Realistic people who do not exist could be mistaken for real actors.
- YouTube. Realistic synthetic content needs disclosure. Set it in YouTube Studio during upload by answering Yes to the AI use question in the Attributes section.
- TikTok. Realistic AI-generated video needs the AI-generated content setting switched on before posting.
- Instagram and Facebook. Photorealistic AI-made video needs the AI label switched on when sharing.
- Real person? No, so no permission question.
- Sensitive topic? No, so Meta's more prominent label and its rules for political ads do not come into play.
The result is a warning that reads "Turn on the AI label on 3 platforms", with three labels to turn on and a risk level of "Low, once labeled". The warning is not a judgement on the film. It means there is an action to take before posting.
The checklist then adds two practical steps: keep the AI metadata in your exported files, and keep a record of which shots were made or changed with AI. That record matters more than it sounds. A festival, a distributor or a platform reviewer may ask, and a shot list with a single yes or no column answers the question in minutes.
Worked example 2: an animated adaptation
Now take an illustrative animated adaptation of a children's book. AI helped with the visuals, which are clearly stylized and could not be mistaken for real footage, and with tightening the script. It will be posted on YouTube and TikTok.
- Is any content realistic? No. Animated, stylized imagery is the kind of clearly unrealistic content the platforms exclude.
- Script help. AI help with writing is a productivity use that YouTube says does not need disclosure, and TikTok's and Meta's labels are aimed at realistic images, video and audio.
- Result. No AI label expected under these policies. The checker returns a pass with zero labels to turn on.
The checker still suggests a line in the credits. It is good practice, it costs nothing, and if you later add a realistic shot, such as a live-action opening, the answer changes. Run the check again whenever the content changes.
Worked example 3: a real person's voice without permission
A third illustrative case: a film uses an AI voice that imitates a real private person, perhaps someone the book is based on. It will be posted on YouTube and Instagram. There is no written permission.
- Is any content realistic? Yes. A real person's voice made with AI is realistic synthetic content.
- Permission? No. This is the deciding point.
- Result. The checker returns a failure headed "Get written permission before you post a real person's AI likeness". The risk level is high. The YouTube row notes that the person can ask YouTube to remove the video through its privacy complaint process.
The labels would still be required if you had permission. Without it, labeling is beside the point: the video can be removed, and the person may have legal claims. The fix is to get written permission or replace the voice with one that does not imitate a real person.
Labels for trailers, clips and every upload
A film rarely goes up once. There is the full film, a trailer, a vertical teaser, several short clips and perhaps behind-the-scenes posts. Each upload is a separate post with its own disclosure setting. If a clip contains realistic AI-made footage, it needs the label even if the full film has it.
The simplest habit is to decide once, per shot, whether it is realistic AI content, and carry that decision into every cut. If any shot in a clip is marked yes, label the clip.
A plain line in the description or credits
Whatever the platform settings, a plain sentence in the description and end credits is honest and clear. For example: "Some scenes in this film were created with AI." Or, more specifically: "The characters in this film were created with AI. No real people are depicted." Keep it short and factual. Avoid wording that suggests real people took part if they did not.
Metadata: do not strip it
Some creative software writes Content Credentials or similar metadata into files to record that AI was involved. YouTube, TikTok and Meta all say they use this kind of metadata to apply labels automatically. Some export settings, re-encoding steps and file conversions strip metadata. If your files carry it, keep it through to the final upload. It helps the platforms label your content correctly and is evidence that you did not try to hide anything.
Copyright is another separate question
Labels and copyright are different issues, but authors adapting their own books often ask about both. The US Copyright Office, in the part of its Copyright and Artificial Intelligence report on copyrightability published in January 2025, said that material generated entirely by AI, without sufficient human control over its expression, is not protected by copyright, while human creative contributions, such as the selection and arrangement of material or human-written text, can be. Your novel, your screenplay and your creative choices in the edit are human work. How much protection the finished film has depends on how it was made. If ownership of the film matters for a sale or a distribution deal, ask an entertainment lawyer.
Common mistakes
Labeling the film but not the clips. Each upload has its own setting. A realistic clip posted without the label is unlabeled, whatever the full film says.
Treating a label as permission. A label tells viewers how the video was made. It does not give you the right to use anyone's face or voice.
Assuming fiction is exempt. A story being fictional does not make realistic AI people unrealistic. If the characters look like real people, the platforms expect the label.
Stripping metadata on export. Re-encoding can remove the metadata platforms use to label content. Check your export settings if your files carry it.
Relying on an old summary. The policies described here were introduced and revised between 2023 and 2026. YouTube's upload question, for example, now sits in the Attributes section under the name AI use. Read the current policy pages before you post.
Before you post: a checklist
- List every platform the film, trailer and clips will go to, and tick them in the checker.
- Mark each shot as realistic AI, unrealistic AI or no AI, and tick the matching boxes.
- If a real person appears, note whether AI changed their likeness or voice and whether you have written permission.
- Switch on the label each platform needs, on every upload that contains realistic AI footage.
- Add a plain line to the description and credits.
- Keep your consent forms, your shot record and your original files with their metadata.
- Open each platform's current policy page and confirm nothing has changed.
Sources and rules this page relies on
- YouTube Help Center: Disclosing use of GenAI content, published by YouTube, and YouTube's privacy complaint process for AI-generated content that simulates an identifiable person.
- TikTok Community Guidelines, section on edited media and AI-generated content, and TikTok Support pages on AI-generated content labels, published by TikTok.
- Meta's approach to labeling AI-generated content and Meta Advertising Standards on disclosure of digitally created or altered ads about social issues, elections or politics, published by Meta.
- The C2PA specification for Content Credentials, published by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, Article 50, published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
- Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, the report series published by the US Copyright Office.
- Tennessee's Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security (ELVIS) Act of 2024, enacted by the Tennessee General Assembly.
Platform policies and laws change. This page describes them as we understand them in 2026 and is not legal advice. Check each platform's current policy before posting, and have an entertainment lawyer review any use of a real person's likeness or voice.