YouTube will use AI to cut copyrighted music and not cut your entire video

YouTube is turning to artificial intelligence to try to simultaneously appease song copyright holders while making life a little easier for those who upload videos containing songs they don’t have permission to use.

Instead of simply removing a video that contains a copyrighted audio track that the uploader doesn’t own the copyright to, they can use a new AI tool to remove the copyrighted song without erasing the rest of the video’s audio track.

When a video is hit with a copyright claim for music content, YouTube now offers several editing options in YouTube Studio to help you get the claim resolved. These options include “Cut,” “Mute,” “Replace Track,” and the new and improved “Clear Track.”

The AI-powered song removal tool can identify and remove copyrighted content from music videos with relative accuracy. Previously, creators had limited options, such as muting the entire video or replacing the song, which often disrupted the overall viewing experience. The song removal tool is the latest in a long-running tug-of-war between creators and copyright owners over how to handle copyright strikes, commonly known as copystrikes on YouTube.

The track removal feature has been in beta testing, but this broader rollout adds the option to the Video Copyright summary page in YouTube Studio. It provides two main options for creators facing copyright claims: “Remove Track” and “Mute All Audio.”

Good news for creators: our updated track remover helps you easily remove copyrighted music from your video (while leaving the rest of your audio intact). Learn more… https://t.co/KeWIw3RFeHJuly 3, 2024

AI Protection

This feature may seem trivial to casual YouTube creators, but it’s especially important for those who rely on monetization through the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). By handling copyright claims more efficiently, creators can ensure their videos remain active and monetizable, preserving their revenue streams.

As YouTube continues to face copyright enforcement challenges exacerbated by AI, these types of capabilities will be a boon to copyright holders and video creators. For example, YouTube will now remove deepfakes of you upon request.

YouTube has even hinted that there will be more improvements and features using AI to create and share content without the threat of copyright claims.