PostEaseThe short answer
An AI content label is a note on a post that tells viewers it was made or changed with artificial intelligence. Platforms add one when the creator declares AI use while posting, or when they detect it themselves from markers the AI tool left in the file.
The rules turn on realism. YouTube, Meta and TikTok all ask creators to disclose AI content that looks or sounds real, such as a real person shown saying something they never said, while an obviously stylised illustration or a minor edit usually needs nothing.
What each platform asks
In each platform’s own words, read in October 2026:
| Platform | What it says |
|---|---|
| YouTube | We require creators to disclose AI-generated or altered content that seems realistic. |
| TikTok | We also require creators to label all AI-generated content that contains realistic images, audio, and video |
| Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) | These labels are now displayed as “AI Info.” We began adding these labels when we detected industry standard AI image indicators or when people disclosed that they were uploading AI-generated content. |
Edited or generated
Meta treats the two differently. In an update to its labeling approach in September 2024, it said: “For content that we detect was only modified or edited by AI tools, we are moving the ‘AI info’ label to the post’s menu. We will still display the ‘AI info’ label for content we detect was generated by an AI tool.” The same announcement reported that in its research across 13 countries, “A large majority (82%) favor warning labels for AI-generated content that depicts people saying things they did not say.”
What YouTube counts
YouTube lists the kinds of content creators must disclose:
- Makes a real person appear to say or do something they didn’t do.
- Alters footage of a real event or place.
- Generates a realistic scene that didn’t actually occur.
- Creates music that’s the main focus of the video.
How to add the label
Each platform puts the disclosure in a different place:
| Platform | Where you disclose | What viewers see |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | In YouTube Studio, under Attributes, the “AI use” question: Yes or No | The content “will be labeled as AI generated or altered for viewers” |
| TikTok | “directly on the post by adding text, a hashtag sticker, or context in the post’s description” | Your disclosure, or a label TikTok offers |
| Facebook, Instagram, Threads | Disclose AI use when you post | Meta’s “AI Info” label, also added when it detects industry-standard AI indicators |
Why it is worth getting right
A label costs a click and protects more than it risks:
- Viewers who find out later that something realistic was made with AI trust the account less than if they had been told.
- Platforms can add a label themselves, or act on content that should have carried one, under their own rules.
- An honest label on clearly creative AI work tells people it is a style, not a claim about the world.
AI labels and PostEase
PostEase does not answer YouTube’s “AI use” question when it uploads a video. If your video meets YouTube’s disclosure rules, set the answer in YouTube Studio after it uploads; for TikTok and other platforms, say so in the caption.
Questions
Do I have to label AI content on YouTube?
Yes, when it seems realistic. YouTube requires creators to disclose AI-generated or altered content that seems realistic, using the “AI use” setting at upload.
What is the “AI Info” label on Instagram and Facebook?
Meta’s label for content made or edited with AI. Meta adds it when it detects industry-standard AI indicators or when people disclose that they are uploading AI-generated content.
Does TikTok require AI labels?
Yes, for AI-generated content with realistic images, audio or video. Creators can label it themselves, including with text or a hashtag sticker on the post.
Do minor AI edits need a label?
Usually not. YouTube says realistic AI content and meaningful changes require disclosure, while non-realistic or minor edits don’t.
Sources
- YouTube, Disclosing use of GenAI content, checked October 2026.
- Meta, Labeling AI Content (Transparency Center), February 2025.
- TikTok, About AI-generated content, checked October 2026.
- Meta, Our Approach to Labeling AI-Generated Content and Manipulated Media, September 2024.