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Heroes of Might and Magic 3AI Training Setting
YouTube's third-party training setting, in YouTube Studio's channel settings, lets a creator allow outside companies to train AI models on their public videos. It is off by default, you pick companies or allow all, and it does not cover Google's own training.
YouTube's third-party training setting lives in YouTube Studio's channel settings (Settings > Channel > Advanced settings, under "Third-party training") and is off by default: leave it off and outside AI companies get no permission from YouTube to train on your videos; turn it on and you choose "All third-party companies" or only companies picked from a list. It covers training by companies other than Google, it applies only to public videos whose rights holders all agree, and YouTube does not arrange any payment for it. YouTube launched it on Dec 16, 2024.
Quick facts
| Where | YouTube Studio channel settings; Content Manager Settings for rights holders |
| Default | Off |
| Choices | All third-party companies, or selected companies only |
| Eligible videos | Public, rights cleared, within YouTube's rules |
| Time to take effect | Up to 7 days in the YouTube Data API |
| Payment | None arranged by YouTube |
| Google's own training | Not covered by this setting |
| As of | Nov 6, 2026 |
Source: Your content & third-party training, YouTube Help.
How do I change the AI training setting on YouTube?
- Sign in to YouTube Studio on a computer.
- Click Settings, then Channel, then Advanced settings.
- Find Third-party training and choose whether to allow it.
- If allowing it, pick All third-party companies or Selected companies only and tick the companies, then save.
Rights holders who use YouTube Studio Content Manager change it on that tool's Settings page instead, where it covers their claimed videos and linked channels (Your content & third-party training). Changes can be made at any time and may take up to 7 days to show in the public YouTube Data API, where a company can check a video's permission by its ID.
Which companies are on the list?
YouTube Help does not print the list, and says other companies can apply to join it. At launch, TechCrunch reported 18 companies and named 17: AI21 Labs, Adobe, Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, ByteDance, Cohere, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, Perplexity, Pika Labs, Runway, Stability AI and xAI (TechCrunch, Dec 16, 2024). The list in Studio is the one that counts, and it may have changed since. Choosing "All third-party companies" goes further than the list.
What does turning it on mean?
It tells the selected companies, through YouTube, that they may use your eligible videos to train the AI models they are building. A video is eligible only if every applicable rights holder allows the same company, the video is public, and it follows YouTube's Terms of Service and Community Guidelines, so a video with someone else's claimed music in it may not qualify (Your content & third-party training). For a creator, the choice applies to all eligible videos on the channel at once; there is no per-video switch.
YouTube says it is not facilitating payments between these companies and creators "at this time": the setting gives permission, not a deal. Any licensing arrangement would be between a creator and a company directly.
What it does not do
- It does not govern Google. The setting concerns third parties only; YouTube's Help page on it says nothing about Google's or YouTube's own use of videos for AI, which falls under YouTube's terms instead.
- It does not block scraping. Leaving it off means YouTube grants no permission, but the setting is not a technical lock; at launch YouTube pointed instead to its Terms of Service, which say third parties may not access creators' content without authorization (TechCrunch, Dec 16, 2024).
- It does not reach backwards. At launch YouTube could not say whether the setting had any effect on training that had already happened (TechCrunch, Dec 16, 2024).
George Vanous, who runs the Freedom! network, lists the setting among his creator tips as a Studio option worth knowing about, without recommending either choice.
Frequently asked questions
Is YouTube's third-party AI training setting on by default? No. YouTube Help says the third-party training setting is off by default, so creators who do not want their videos used need to do nothing.
Where is the AI training setting in YouTube Studio? In YouTube Studio, open Settings, then Channel, then Advanced settings, and find Third-party training. Content Manager users find it on that tool's Settings page.
Does YouTube pay creators for AI training? No. YouTube says it is not facilitating payments between third-party companies and creators at this time; the setting only grants permission.
Does the setting stop Google training AI on my YouTube videos? No. The YouTube setting covers third-party companies only, and its Help page does not address Google's own AI training.
Which AI companies can I allow on YouTube? At launch on Dec 16, 2024, the YouTube list included AI21 Labs, Adobe, Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, ByteDance, Cohere, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, Perplexity, Pika Labs, Runway, Stability AI and xAI; the current list is in YouTube Studio.
Which YouTube videos can be used for third-party training? Only public videos whose rights holders all allow the same company and that follow YouTube's Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
Sources
- Your content & third-party training, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- YouTube will now let creators opt in to third-party AI training, TechCrunch, Dec 16, 2024
Related
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Paid Promotions and SponsorshipsYouTube requires creators to declare any sponsorship, product placement, endorsement or other branded content by ticking the paid promotion box in YouTube Studio, which shows viewers a disclosure at the start of the video; some products may never be promoted and burned-in video ads are not allowed.
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2-Step VerificationYouTube requires 2-Step Verification on the Google Account of every channel in the YouTube Partner Program (to use YouTube Studio since Nov 1, 2021) and of every channel applying for the verification badge; YouTube recommends a passkey as the second step because it resists phishing best.
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Hacked Channel RecoveryTo recover a hacked YouTube channel, first recover the Google Account that owns it (password reset and Google's account recovery), then undo the hacker's changes with YouTube Studio's cleanup tool, then secure the account with 2-Step Verification; YouTube's hacked channel assistant helps in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
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YouTube SupportOnly eligible creators, such as channels in the YouTube Partner Program, can chat with or email YouTube Creator Support, from the Chat button in YouTube Studio or the Help Center; everyone else gets the Help Center, the YouTube Help Community and @TeamYouTube on X.
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Content IDContent ID is YouTube's automatic copyright system, which scans every upload against reference files from rights holders and places a claim on a match that blocks, monetizes or tracks the video. A claim is not a strike, and only owners of exclusive rights to a large body of often-uploaded material qualify to use it.
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Copyright StrikesA YouTube copyright strike comes when a video is removed after a legal takedown request. It expires after 90 days once you complete Copyright School, and three active strikes put the channel up for termination.
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Counter NotificationsA YouTube counter notification is the legal request to restore a video removed for copyright by mistake or misidentification. The claimant gets 10 US business days to show they have sued; if not, YouTube puts the video back.
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Disputing Copyright ClaimsTo dispute a Content ID claim on YouTube, open YouTube Studio > Content, hover over Claims, click See details, then Take action > Dispute. Dispute within 5 days of the claim and the video's revenue is held for whoever wins.
See also
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Age RestrictionAn age-restricted YouTube video can only be watched by viewers who are signed in and 18 or older, mostly not on other websites, and it may earn limited or no ads. Creators can restrict their own videos or appeal YouTube's restriction in YouTube Studio.
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Altered or Synthetic ContentYouTube requires creators to disclose realistic AI-generated or meaningfully altered content by setting "AI use" to Yes under Attributes when uploading. The label does not limit reach or monetization, but repeatedly hiding AI use can.
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Channel TerminationYouTube terminates a channel for three strikes in 90 days, repeated violations, one case of severe abuse or a channel dedicated to breaking a policy. You can appeal in YouTube Studio within a year, twice, and a pilot lets some terminated creators ask for a new channel after a year.
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Community Guidelines StrikesA first YouTube Community Guidelines violation is usually only a warning, which expires 90 days after you finish a short policy training. After that, strikes freeze posting for one week, then two, and a third strike in 90 days can remove the channel.
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Links in DescriptionsYouTube allows links in video descriptions and comments, but links to porn, malware, phishing, pirated content, regulated goods such as online casinos, or other content that breaks its rules can bring a warning, a strike or removal. Links in long video descriptions are clickable; in Shorts descriptions they have not been since Aug 31, 2023.
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Made for KidsEvery YouTube creator must say whether each video is made for kids, children under 13 in the US, in YouTube Studio under Settings > Channel > Advanced settings or per video. Made for kids videos lose comments, personalized ads, the notification bell, end screens and more, a rule that came from YouTube's $170 million COPPA settlement with the FTC in 2019.