YouTube is most likely experimenting with AI enhancements across its Shorts feature. And creators seem unhappy with this revelation.
In a recent story covered by the BBC, a YouTube creator who has published over 2000 videos on music showcased a genuine concern. His hair looked ‘strange’, and it looked as if he was wearing makeup.
At first, the user thought he had been imagining things. But this wasn’t the truth.
His videos and content were indeed being modified and tweaked silently by YouTube. And with the help of AI features that don’t require user permission and don’t even let them know beforehand.
What are some of the other AI-driven ‘enhancements’ did users notice? Wrinkles on shirts are flat, the skin is smooth in some places, sharper in others, and in some users’ cases, the ears warp.
These changes aren’t anything huge, but if you keep the original and YouTube’s versions side by side, you can notice what’s really being carried out. Some YouTubers have illustrated their discomfort with this change, asserting that their content now comprises AI-generated glossiness. It’s subtle, but the feeling is highly unwelcoming.
This is subtracting the authenticity and originality that the creators wish their content to possess. They are afraid that viewers might think the creator is using AI for content creation, which could damage their reputation.
According to the BBC, these complaints can be traced back to June. Previously, some content creators had posted enlarged images of their body parts that looked abnormal and questioned YouTube’s undertakings. After a month of silence, the social platform has revealed that it has been altering chosen YouTube Shorts, short-length features on YouTube.
In response, the head of creative liaison and editorial at YouTube asserted-
We’re running an experiment on select YouTube Shorts that uses traditional machine learning technology to unblur, denoise, and improve clarity in videos during processing (similar to what a modern smartphone does when you record a video).
This move by YouTube continues to be criticized by leading researchers and experts on disinformation. A smartphone allows users to turn on specific features and choose the filters of their choice, only when they want to. The choice is up to the user.
YouTube seems to be making decisions for creators, but the creator platform has termed it as “experimentation” and “upgrade.” They are drawing a line while inserting additional steps between the actual information and the content we actually consume.
Why are the creators in a frenzy? AI is establishing a wall between creators and their audiences. And deciding the reality they show.
As Samuel Wooley, the Dietrich Chair of Disinformation Studies at the University of Pittsburgh in the US, put it-
People are already distrustful of the content that they encounter on social media. What happens if people know that companies are editing content from the top down, without even telling the content creators themselves?
While some remain neutral, others are positive about this experimentation-driven road YouTube is taking. They believe that this best-in-the-industry knows what it’s doing. Meanwhile, there are users who believe trust is a significant element, and this step by YouTube could deteriorate that.
Are we looking out for knowledge risks- will AI peel away the meaning etched in authentic content? With AI, our relationship with reality will be redefined.
The images that we see in our daily lives are already infused with this tech to such an extent that creators have moved past it. Viewers now demand originality, an aspect that was the unsaid norm.
But the concerns go beyond doubts about what’s original and what isn’t. AI deepfakes have instilled fear into the audience because they alter reality by changing the image.
This is what users are worried about-
Can we really trust what we see online?