Content moderation is a critical challenge for society: YouTube India director

YouTube on Wednesday declared its commitment to promptly addressing technically manipulated content, emphasising the importance of countering misinformation in the evolving tech landscape with the integration of AI-powered tools.

With this, YouTube stressed its dedication to preventing content that misleads users and triggers tangible harm.

During a media briefing, Ishan John Chatterjee, YouTube's Director for India, underscored the platform's robust community guidelines that dictate permissible content on the platform.

"Content moderation is a critical challenge for YouTube and also for society as a whole as tech evolves," he said to a question on YouTube's content moderation approach in the backdrop of AI moving to the point where humans on screen are being replaced by AI avatars and powerful new-age tools.

"One of the policies besides different things like violence and graphic content is..about misinformation and content that is technically manipulated to mislead users and cause real-world harm...That is not allowed on our platform and we will act against it," he vowed.

YouTube, he said, is committed to enforcing its policies consistently globally, especially in India.

Watermarks on AI-generated content

"We are constantly evolving processes and technologies to make sure we are able to meet this challenge. Earlier this year... Sundar Pichai announced two things we will be looking at... Metadata and watermarks that will come...on content AI generated and those are ways for viewers and us to use AI to detect it," he said.

Chatterjee highlights that tackling misinformation holds significant importance for the platform.

"We have made significant investments and advances in doing it. But we know that our work here is never done, so we'll continuously keep investing in this area," he said.

As YouTube marks 15 years since the introduction of localised versions in India, the platform sheds light on the impact of Indian creators' creativity and changing viewer preferences, which are shaping notable trends in content creation, consumption, and popular culture.

Making YouTube the best platform: Chatterjee

YouTube highlighted its ongoing efforts to enhance creative capabilities, avenues for monetisation, and means of enabling creators to forge meaningful connections with their audiences. Concurrently, the platform maintains its commitment to providing creators and viewers with a secure environment that fosters creation and interaction.

"We will continue to be laser-focused on making YouTube the best platform for long-term success," Chatterjee added.

Highlighting the significant influence of Indian creators and audiences on shaping the digital video landscape and creator economy in India, he outlined key trends. The creative process has been streamlined, and consumption spans multiple formats, seamlessly accommodating various preferences.

The proliferation of creative tools has catalysed the diversification of formats, leading to an increased output of narratives, amplified scale, and more pronounced effects.

In fact, a notable 69 per cent of surveyed Gen Z individuals in India express a preference for their favourite creators producing content in diverse formats such as short-form, long-form, podcasts, and live streams.

"With 71 per cent of people watching videos about a specific topic that they are into in multiple different formats, consumption has become boundless and seamless," YouTube said in a release. 

(With PTI inputs)