Disclosure, labels and provenance

Audiences, platforms and now regulators expect to know when realistic footage was made or changed by AI. Disclosing it is quick, and for creative work it's light-touch.

The EU AI Act (from 2 August 2026)

Article 50 of the EU AI Act applies from 2 August 2026. Its deepfake rule says that anyone using AI to generate or manipulate image, audio or video content that is a deepfake must disclose that it has been artificially generated or manipulated. For work that is evidently artistic, creative, satirical or fictional, the duty is limited to disclosing that such content exists, in a way that doesn't spoil the work, for example a note in the credits or the description. Providers of AI systems must also mark outputs in a machine-readable way.

This isn't legal advice: if your film is distributed in the EU, check how the rules apply to it.

YouTube

When you upload, YouTube Studio asks about AI use under Attributes. Say yes when realistic content was made or meaningfully altered by AI: a real person appearing to say or do something they didn't, altered footage of a real event or place, or a realistic scene that never happened. You don't need to disclose clearly unrealistic or animated content, or minor edits like colour, captions, upscaling, audio repair, or using AI for the script and thumbnails. Disclosing doesn't by itself limit the video's reach or monetisation; repeatedly failing to disclose can lead to penalties.

Content Credentials (C2PA)

Content Credentials are an open standard (C2PA) for attaching a record of how a file was made. Platforms such as YouTube can read them and label videos automatically. You can check any file at the Content Credentials verify page.

A simple policy for your films

1. Credit AI tools in the end credits ("Generated shots made with MoviePro").
2. Tick the platform's AI disclosure when the footage is realistic.
3. Never present a generated scene as a record of a real event.