YouTube has been quietly testing a feature to artificially enhance videos, but the company hasn’t informed creators about it or given them an option to opt out. The test, which started rolling out in YouTube Shorts earlier this year, caused concern among users who noticed strange artifacts and edge distortion.
The issue is similar to when you zoom in on a smartphone photo and notice oversharpening or an “oil painting” effect. According to Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s head of editorial, the feature uses traditional machine learning to reduce blur and noise while sharpening images. However, many creators believe that this is still AI being used to modify videos.
Rene Ritchie acknowledges that the feature doesn’t use generative AI like other Google products, but some argue it’s a distinction without a difference. YouTuber Rhett Shull began investigating the issue after discussing it with a fellow creator and concluded that YouTube was indeed applying AI video processing without notification.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/google/2025/08/youtube-secretly-tested-ai-video-enhancement-without-notifying-creators