YouTube now lets every adult find deepfakes of their face
YouTube's likeness detection, built to find AI-generated videos of a person's face, is no longer reserved for big creators. Since May 2026 every user aged 18 or over can switch it on in YouTube Studio.
How it got here
- 2024: YouTube develops the tool with Creative Artists Agency and tests it with creators such as MrBeast and Marques Brownlee.
- 2025: it opens to creators in the YouTube Partner Program.
- March 2026: a pilot adds government officials, political candidates and journalists.
- April 2026: talent agencies, management companies and the celebrities they represent get access, even without their own channel.
- May 2026: it opens to all users aged 18 or over.
How to turn it on
- Open YouTube StudioGo to the Content detection tab and choose Likeness.
- Verify yourselfUpload a government ID and record a short video selfie, so YouTube knows the face it should look for.
- Review matchesYou get an alert when a video seems to show your face. You can ask for its removal; YouTube decides case by case and allows parody and satire.
What it does not cover
The tool looks for faces only. A video that uses a clone of your voice without your face will not be found. That makes it more important to keep your own voice under your control: record it yourself, use it only for your own content, and label AI narration when you publish.
If you post videos made by your digital twin, label them as AI-made during upload. Your own labelled videos are not what the tool is built to remove.
Questions
Who can use YouTube likeness detection?
Since May 2026, any YouTube user aged 18 or older who verifies their identity with a government ID and a video selfie.
Does YouTube likeness detection find cloned voices?
No. It covers facial likeness only, not voice.