YouTube has announced a collaboration with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to test technology that helps high-profile actors, athletes, and creators manage AI-generated content featuring their likeness.
The platform is developing a “likeness management technology” that will allow celebrities to locate AI-generated depictions of their faces or other identifying features on YouTube and file removal requests through its privacy-compliant process.
Initially, the system will be available to award-winning actors and top NBA and NFL athletes represented by CAA. YouTube plans to refine the tool with insights from this group before expanding it to include top YouTube creators, creative professionals, and talent agencies. The tool’s broader release will follow additional testing phases.
CAA brings unique expertise to the partnership through its CAAvault service, which secures digital likenesses of clients, including their face, body, and voice. YouTube cited this background as a key reason for selecting CAA as its first partner in this initiative.
The announcement comes at a time when generative AI is driving contentious debates in the entertainment industry. Creators and rights holders are increasingly vocal about the unauthorized use of their work in training large language models and generating AI content. YouTube’s recent addition of a flagging system for content creators to specify permissions for AI model training underscores its efforts to stay ahead of these challenges.
Hollywood has seen mixed reactions to AI likeness use. While some stars have licensed their digital selves, others have raised alarms about its long-term effects. Lisa Kudrow, in a podcast interview last week, called the practice an endorsement of AI and expressed concern about its impact on opportunities for new actors and other creatives.
While the tool is a step forward in addressing unauthorized AI use, but its effectiveness will hinge on implementation. Managing AI-generated content at scale is complex, and past automated systems, like Content ID, have faced criticism for overreach and errors. Ensuring fairness and balancing creators’ rights with space for parody and creativity will be critical to its success.
