YouTube has taken a significant step towards giving creators more control over their content, announcing a new feature that allows them to choose which third-party companies can use their videos to train AI models. This move comes in response to growing concerns among creators that their material is being used without their consent or compensation.

The new feature, accessible through the YouTube Studio dashboard, enables creators to select from a list of 18 authorized companies, including Adobe, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, among others. These companies were chosen because they are building generative AI models and are likely to partner with creators. Additionally, creators can opt to allow all third-party companies to train on their content, although this setting is not recommended.

This development is a direct response to the rising use of AI technology, particularly AI-generated video content like OpenAI's Sora. Many creators have complained that companies, including Apple, Nvidia, Anthropic, OpenAI, and even Google itself, have trained AI models on their material without permission or compensation. YouTube had previously promised to address this issue, and this new feature marks a significant step towards resolving the problem.

Notably, the new setting does not change YouTube's Terms of Service, which prohibit third parties from accessing creator content in unauthorized ways, such as scraping. However, it does provide creators with more control over how their content is used, and potentially opens up opportunities for compensation in the future. YouTube envisions this feature as the first step towards making it easier for creators to permit companies to train AI on their videos and receive fair compensation.

It is unclear whether this new setting will have any retroactive impact on third-party AI model training that has already taken place. YouTube emphasized that its Terms of Service clearly state that third parties cannot access creator content without authorization. The company will likely address the next step in this process by allowing authorized companies to access direct downloads of creator videos.

In related news, Google's AI research lab DeepMind announced a new video-generating AI model, Veo 2, which aims to rival OpenAI's Sora. This development highlights the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technology and the growing importance of addressing creator rights and compensation in this space.

YouTube will notify creators globally about the new feature via banner notifications in YouTube Studio on desktop and mobile over the next few days. This move marks a significant step towards empowering creators and promoting a more equitable and transparent relationship between content creators and AI technology companies.