YouTube opens deepfake detection tool to politicians and journalists

YouTube on Tuesday started offering a free tool to government officials, journalists and political candidates to help them identify and remove AI-generated videos that resemble their appearance.

The company, which is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, said in a blog post that the tool aims to serve individuals at the center of breaking news and civic discourse to “protect their identities.” The tool comes more than four months after the platform launched the likeness detection tool to YouTube Partner Program members.

“YouTube has a long history of protecting free expression and content in the public interest — including preserving content like parody and satire, even when used to critique world leaders or influential figures,” YouTube said in its blog.

The rapid development of AI has fueled the creation and widespread adoption of models that have evolved rapidly to create increasingly realistic video. And while many tech platforms including YouTube have generally embraced AI video, they have also faced challenges around deceptive content that spreads misinformation and can be used to perpetrate scams.

AI videos of high-profile people — sometimes called deepfakes — have been particularly potent for scammers.

As of Tuesday, YouTube, which first rolled out its likeness detection tool in October 2025, will reach out to politicians and journalists on the platform who can then decide if they want to enroll to use the tool, a company spokesperson said.

Participants will need to provide a video of themselves along with government identification. YouTube will then notify participants on YouTube Studio of deepfake videos that show a likeness to their appearance. The participants can flag the content and request removal. Users who have not received the invitation to register for the tool can reach out to YouTube directly.

The information provided by the participants will not be used to train AI models from Google, which owns YouTube, but will only be used to “power” the detection tool, the spokesperson told NBC News.

Google’s video generator trains its system using videos posted on YouTube, NBC News previously reported.

“Our goal is to get this technology into the hands of the people who need it, and we have plans to significantly expand access over the coming year,” the spokesperson said.

Source: NBC News
--Agencies