An AI-made video can look finished and still cause trouble after you post it: a copyright claim on the music, a missing disclosure, a wrong date in the narration or a misleading picture. Most of these problems take a few minutes to catch before posting and much longer to fix afterward. This checklist covers what to check on every AI-made video before it goes on your YouTube channel, and most of it applies to TikTok, Instagram and Facebook too.
Platform rules change. Each section points to where the current rule lives, so check there when in doubt. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
1. YouTube's altered or synthetic content label
When you upload in YouTube Studio, the Details step asks whether your video contains altered or synthetic content. YouTube asks you to answer "yes" when the video shows something realistic that a viewer could mistake for real and that did not happen, for example:
- making a real person appear to say or do something they did not;
- changing footage of a real event or place;
- showing a realistic-looking scene that never took place;
- using a cloned copy of a real person's voice.
You usually do not need to disclose AI use that is clearly unrealistic (cartoons, fantasy, obvious animation), minor edits like color correction, or AI used behind the scenes to help write the script or captions. A generic AI narrator reading your own script is normally in that second group, but a realistic AI picture of a real historical event can fall in the first.
When you answer "yes", YouTube adds a note to the description, and for sensitive subjects such as news, elections, health or finance it can show the label on the video itself. YouTube says it may add a label when a creator has not, and creators who repeatedly fail to disclose can face penalties. The current wording is in YouTube's Help Center under "Disclosing use of altered or synthetic content".
The simple rule: if a viewer could reasonably believe an AI picture or clip is a real photo or recording of a real event, disclose it.
2. Facts, names and dates
AI writing tools can state wrong facts with full confidence. Before posting, check:
- every date, number and name of a real person or place against two reliable sources;
- quotes, which are often invented or misattributed;
- how the narrator pronounces names and places;
- for historical topics, that the pictures show the right period (no modern cars, clothes or buildings in an 1890s story).
Health, money and legal topics deserve extra care, because viewers may act on what you say. If a video gives general information rather than advice, say so in the video and the description.
3. Music rights
Music is the most common reason faceless videos get copyright claims. A claim can send your ad money to the rights holder, and some claims block the video in some countries or everywhere. Safe sources include:
- YouTube's Audio Library in YouTube Studio, free to use on YouTube (some tracks require credit in the description; the library tells you which).
- Licensed stock music from a library whose license covers your use, including monetized videos.
- AI-generated music, if the tool's terms give you commercial rights. Some AI music tools only grant commercial use on paid plans, so read the terms for the plan you used.
"No copyright intended" in a description does not make a song usable. Neither does using only a few seconds of it. If you get a claim you believe is wrong, you can dispute it in YouTube Studio, but only when you actually hold the rights.
4. Pictures and clips you did not make
For images and footage, keep a note of where each one came from. Public domain archives, licensed stock and your own AI-made pictures are fine within their terms. Pictures copied from search results, other channels or news sites usually are not. YouTube's monetization policies also exclude reused content: videos built mainly from other people's material without meaningful commentary or change of your own.
5. Title, thumbnail and description
- The title and thumbnail should match what the video shows. YouTube's spam and deceptive practices policies cover thumbnails and titles that mislead viewers.
- Avoid realistic AI thumbnails of real people doing things they did not do.
- Put sources in the description if the video makes factual claims; it builds trust and helps if a claim is questioned.
- Add chapter timestamps to long videos (the first must be 00:00, with at least three chapters of 10 seconds or more).
6. Sponsorships, affiliate links and kids
- Paid promotion. If a brand paid you or gave you something for the video, or you use affiliate links, US Federal Trade Commission rules require a clear disclosure. YouTube also has a "paid promotion" box in the upload settings.
- Made for kids. Every upload asks whether the video is made for kids. If it is, US children's privacy law (COPPA) applies, and YouTube turns off some features such as comments and personalized ads. Answer honestly; the audience setting is your responsibility.
7. Mass-produced videos
YouTube's monetization policies exclude content that is mass-produced or repetitive, such as many near-identical videos with only small changes. AI makes it easy to produce a lot, so it is worth checking that each video has its own topic, research and script, and that a viewer would learn something different from each one.
The checklist
- Altered or synthetic content question answered honestly in YouTube Studio.
- Facts, dates, names and quotes checked against two sources.
- Pictures show the right period and nothing realistic that could mislead.
- Music from a source that covers monetized use, credited if required.
- Every picture and clip from a source you can name.
- Title and thumbnail match the video.
- Sources and chapter timestamps in the description.
- Paid promotion and "made for kids" settings answered.
- The whole video watched once at normal speed.
How this fits with a done-for-you service
If a service makes your videos, you are still the one posting them, so the choices above stay yours. We deliver each video with a ready-to-post kit (the MP4, thumbnails, a title, a description with hashtags, tags and a captions file), and you post it yourself. Ask any service you use where its music and pictures come from and what licenses cover them. To see how the videos are made, read how long faceless documentaries are made with AI narration, or how to choose a faceless niche if you are just starting.