Look just under the song title. On YouTube Music, an “AI” badge on the player marks songs YouTube treats as made primarily with generative AI (9to5Google). On YouTube, check the expanded description for “How this content was made” and a “Made with AI” line (YouTube Help). On TikTok, the help page names two labels, “creator labeled as AI-generated” and “AI-generated” (TikTok Support); our social labels file records them under the caption. No label does not mean a human made it.
This page is only about finding labels in these three apps. For the full method, see how to tell if a song is AI. To hide AI music instead, see how to block AI music. Viral “talent show” clips are covered in fake talent show videos.
YouTube Music: the “AI” badge on the player
YouTube Music began rolling out the label on Oct 14, 2026. It covers songs “created primarily using generative AI,” for example a generative model making the composition and vocals (YouTube). That is close to the record industry’s proposed “AI-Generated” label; the two are compared in AI-Generated vs AI-Assisted.
Step by step:
- Play the song and open the full player (Now Playing screen).
- Look just below the song name, next to the artist or channel. The badge reads “AI” and has an info icon (9to5Google). PCMag places it next to the thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons (PCMag).
- Tap it. A “How this was made” sheet opens with “Made with AI: This audio was altered or fully generated using AI” (9to5Google).
Who decides. Both sides. YouTube says it works with music partners and uses its own detection tools (YouTube). Labels and distributors declare each track as “Fully Gen AI,” “Partly Gen AI” or “No Gen AI” when they deliver it. If a partner gives no value, YouTube treats it as unknown unless its own signals decide. YouTube may also use those signals to “augment partner declarations” (YouTube Help).
What the partner terms mean, in YouTube’s own examples:
- “Fully Gen AI”: a user types a prompt into an AI music generator and downloads the track.
- “Partly Gen AI”: an artist generates one layer, such as a bassline, and records their own vocals and instruments over it. Using AI to brainstorm lyrics, or only for the music video visuals, also counts.
- “No Gen AI”: Auto-Tune style pitch correction or AI mastering (YouTube Help).
Note the gap. The partner terms are “Fully” and “Partly,” but the listener sees a single “AI” badge. YouTube’s help page does not say which of the two declarations trigger it.
Logged out? Our YouTube Music page records that we check for the label in the app while signed in. We have no source on whether signed-out listeners see it.
Not yet everywhere. It is a rollout. PCMag’s Middle East edition says the announcement gives no timeline for users in that region and suggests updating the app if the label has not appeared (PCMag).
YouTube: “How this content was made”
YouTube says the music labels will also come to the main YouTube app (YouTube). Videos already carry a broader disclosure.
Step by step:
- Open the video and expand the description (“…more”).
- Scroll to the “How this content was made” section.
- Look for “Made with AI.” It means the video “has been meaningfully altered or synthetically generated with Gen AI tools.” YouTube may also show a label on the player itself (YouTube Help).
- If there is an “Info from” line under it, that names who signed the Content Credentials (C2PA) data (YouTube Help).
Who decides. The label appears when the creator discloses “AI content” in YouTube Studio, when the creator uses YouTube’s own AI tools, or when valid Content Credentials say the whole video was made with AI. When content is undisclosed, YouTube “may” apply a label itself in some cases to reduce harm (YouTube Help).
Logged out? Yes. Our social labels page records YouTube labels as public, and we checked them signed out on Oct 24, 2026.
TikTok: three phrasings under the caption
TikTok lists two labels on its help page (TikTok Support):
- “creator labeled as AI-generated.” That is the help page’s wording; on the videos in our file it appears as “Creator labeled as AI-generated”. The creator turns this on for content “completely generated or significantly edited by AI.” TikTok says labeling unaltered content this way breaks its terms.
- “AI-generated.” TikTok “may automatically apply” this. That can happen when someone uses TikTok AI effects or uploads content with Content Credentials attached. Once auto-applied, the creator cannot remove it.
TikTok began reading C2PA Content Credentials in May 2024. It said audio-only support would come “soon.” It also warned auto-labels may grow slowly, since a file needs the metadata to be recognized (TikTok Newsroom).
There is a third phrasing. Our social labels file records “Contains AI-generated media” under the caption on some videos. TikTok’s help page does not use this wording or say what triggers it (TikTok Support). Treat it as a label, but do not guess who set it.
Step by step:
- Open the video itself, not just the feed preview.
- Read the area under the account name and caption. Our file records the labels there.
- Read the caption and hashtags too. TikTok says creators can also disclose AI with text, a hashtag sticker or the description (TikTok Support).
Logged out? Yes. We opened every TikTok video in our file signed out on Oct 24, 2026, and the labels showed.
What we found when we checked
As of Oct 24, 2026, our social labels file covers 18 acts on YouTube. Videos from 11 showed “Made with AI.” For the other 7, the three newest videos had no “How this was made” label.
On TikTok it covers 11 acts. Eight showed a label: six “Creator labeled as AI-generated” and two “Contains AI-generated media.” Three showed none on their three newest videos.
One of the acts with no label on either app is Luke Bryan, whose file is marked human-confirmed. Another, Solomon Ray, has a “Made with AI” label on YouTube but none on its three newest TikTok videos. So the same act can be labeled on one app and not another.
What a missing label does not mean
- It does not mean human-made. On YouTube Music, an unknown declaration stays unknown unless YouTube’s signals decide (YouTube Help).
- It does not mean the creator broke a rule. TikTok only “encourages” creators to label most AI content. It requires labels for realistic images, audio and video (TikTok Support).
- It may just be late. YouTube Music’s label is still rolling out (YouTube), and TikTok’s C2PA labels depend on the metadata surviving upload (TikTok Newsroom).
- A label is not a ban. TechCrunch notes AI involvement alone does not make a YouTube track ineligible for monetization (TechCrunch).
No label? Three checks
- The act’s own channel and bio. Open the YouTube About page, TikTok bio or Linktree, and read what the act says about itself. Check that the links point to the same Spotify profile, as our social file does for each act.
- Streaming labels. Our platform files record Spotify’s “AI Persona” and “Likely AI Persona” badges (Spotify labels) and Deezer’s “AI-generated content” tag (Deezer labels). Search the same song there.
- Our files. Search WhoSung for the artist. Each file shows its verdict and sources. See all platform labels and how we decide.
If you find a label we missed, tell us through corrections.
Artists in this guide
Sources
- YouTube: YouTube Music adds new labels for AI music checked Oct 24, 2026
- YouTube Help: Disclose Gen AI usage for music content checked Oct 24, 2026
- YouTube Help: Understanding 'How this content was made' disclosures checked Oct 24, 2026
- TikTok Support: About AI-generated content checked Oct 24, 2026
- TikTok Newsroom: Partnering with our industry to advance AI transparency and literacy checked Oct 24, 2026
- TechCrunch: YouTube Music launches new labels as AI-generated music floods streaming platforms checked Oct 24, 2026
- 9to5Google: YouTube Music rolling out AI labels in the Now Playing screen checked Oct 24, 2026
- PCMag: YouTube Music Now Flags AI Tracks, Deezer to Let You Remove Them Entirely checked Oct 24, 2026