AI-made captions on YouTube: is a disclosure label required?
YouTube lists caption creation among edits that need no altered-content disclosure. What that covers, and how a Sume burned-in caption job fits.
No, according to YouTube's own help page: it lists "Caption creation" among edits that do not need the altered-or-synthetic-content disclosure. Burning captions onto a clip with Sume's POST /v1/video-captions adds text to the video. YouTube's page does not say whether burned-in text is treated differently from a caption file, so read it for your case.
What does YouTube exempt?
The page treats "Caption creation" and "Video sharpening, upscaling or repair and voice or audio repair" as minor edits, and also allows "Cloning one's own voice to create voice overs or dubs" without disclosure. It contrasts them with content that "appears realistic" and was "generated or meaningfully altered with AI". Read at YouTube Help on 2026-09-30.
What does a Sume caption job change in the video?
A caption job takes a public HTTPS video_url, picks a look with style, and returns a captioned video. The job adds text timed from speech-to-text word timings (or from your script_text, words or cues). It costs $0.20 for videos up to 60 seconds under the docs' fixed estimate.
| Step in your workflow | Covered by the caption exemption? |
|---|---|
| Burn captions onto footage you filmed | Yes, this is caption creation |
| Burn captions onto a clip made entirely by AI | The caption step is exempt; the clip itself is judged separately |
| Avatar video with inline captions | Same: the avatar footage is judged on its own |
What about an avatar video with inline captions?
Inline captions on an avatar video burn text onto the finished MP4 and create no separate caption job. The exemption then applies to the text, not to a realistic synthetic presenter, which YouTube's page would evaluate on the "appears realistic" test. See does YouTube require a label for AI voiceover Shorts.
Should I still check before publishing?
Yes. This reads one help page on one day, and the label decision is the publisher's. Re-read it before you upload.
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