YouTube secretly ALTERS videos using AI without creator consent
By ramontomeydw // 2025-08-28
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  • YouTube has been caught using AI to subtly modify videos (e.g., smoothing skin, sharpening wrinkles, warping facial features) without informing or obtaining consent from creators like Rick Beato and Rhett Shull.
  • Creators argue these unauthorized edits misrepresent their content and could damage audience trust. Critics warn AI-mediated reality undermines digital authenticity and raises concerns about deepfake manipulation.
  • YouTube claims the AI tweaks are "traditional machine learning" for video clarity, similar to smartphone enhancements. However, it has not clarified whether creators can opt out of these modifications.
  • Experts like Samuel Woolley and Jill Walker Rettberg warn that AI reshaping reality without consent accelerates disinformation risks, echoing controversies around Samsung's AI-enhanced moon photos and Google's "Best Take" feature.
  • Similar debates arose with Photoshop and beauty filters, but AI's unchecked manipulation of content – especially without transparency – deepens public skepticism and threatens trust in digital media.
In a revelation that has alarmed content creators and digital rights advocates, YouTube has been caught using artificial intelligence (AI) to subtly modify videos without notifying or obtaining permission from the uploaders. The discovery first noticed by prominent multi-instrumentalist Rick Beato raises critical questions about transparency, consent and the creeping influence of AI in reshaping digital media. Beato, whose YouTube channel boasts over five million subscribers, initially dismissed the oddities in his videos as a trick of the eye. "I was like, 'Man, my hair looks strange,'" he told the BBC. "And the closer I looked, it almost seemed like I was wearing makeup." But upon closer inspection, he realized YouTube had applied AI-driven enhancements – sharpening wrinkles, smoothing skin and subtly warping facial features like ears. Fellow creator Rhett Shull confirmed similar alterations in his own uploads, expressing frustration over the unauthorized edits. "If I wanted this terrible over-sharpening, I would have done it myself," Shull said in a video about the matter. "It deeply misrepresents me and what I do. It could potentially erode the trust I have with my audience in a small way." Rene Ritchie, YouTube's editorial and creator liaison lead, eventually acknowledged the AI experiment in a post on X. He framed the changes as "traditional machine learning" to improve video clarity – comparable to smartphone camera enhancements. "YouTube is always working on ways to provide the best video quality and experience possible, and will continue to take creator and viewer feedback into consideration as we iterate and improve on these features," Ritchie concluded his post. However, the platform did not clarify whether users can opt not to utilize this function.

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However, critics argue the distinction is semantic – with disinformation researcher Samuel Woolley calling it a deliberate obfuscation. "Machine learning is a subfield of artificial intelligence. This is absolutely AI," said Woolley, who is from the University of Pittsburgh. Jill Walker Rettberg, a digital narrative professor at the University of Bergen in Norway, likens it to footprints in the sand. She remarked: "With analog media, you knew something was in front of the camera. But with AI, what does that do to our relationship with reality?" The controversy underscores a broader trend: AI is increasingly mediating reality without public awareness or consent. From Samsung's AI-enhanced moon photos to Google's "Best Take" feature – which fabricates group photos from multiple shots – technology is reshaping authenticity. (Related: Portent of things to come: AI-generated image of Pentagon explosion goes viral, triggers market downturn.) Brighteon.AI's Enoch engine warns that "AI altering videos without consent poses grave dangers by enabling deepfake manipulation, spreading disinformation and eroding trust in digital media. Worse, AI can suppress or 'ghost' content – making it selectively invisible – thereby controlling narratives and censoring truth without accountability." Historically, similar debates arose with the advent of Photoshop and beauty filters. Yet AI accelerates these concerns exponentially. While YouTube insists its tweaks are minor, the lack of transparency erodes trust – a precious commodity in an era already rife with digital skepticism. As Woolley warns, "If people know companies are editing content top-down without even telling creators, distrust will only deepen." For now, creators like Beato remain cautiously diplomatic. The incident ultimately serves as a stark reminder that in the age of AI, even reality is no longer guaranteed. Watch "BardsFM" host Scott Kesterson explaining the differences between machine learning and AI in this clip. This video is from the Brighteon Highlights channel on Brighteon.com.

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