YouTube is experimenting with an AI-powered age verification tool that will work on a small number of adult users in the United States. The presented pilot examines the possibility of employing artificial intelligence to determine the age demographic of a viewer based on their behavior when interacting with a video.

Highlights:

• YouTube tests AI-driven age verification for US accounts.
• The system estimates age by analyzing video viewing patterns.
• No ID upload is required during this initial test.
• Only a small group of adult users will participate.
• Results will inform future age verification decisions.

This age verification system applies AI to evaluate an average consumption habit of a user. It investigates such aspects as the kind of videos viewers watch and the behavior of engagement to determine the age demographic of the viewer. The system will initiate an age verification prompt when patterns indicate that a minor might be gaining access to restricted age content.

The present test does not entail gathering a government identification or important files. The analysis of user data will respect the current privacy policy of YouTube. The company wants to hear about this test in order to improve the AI-based approach of age verification.

The test will be carried out to determine how viable this AI approach can be used on a larger scale. The success would translate into a more scalable age verification solution that can reduce dependence on ID uploads. Depending on the pilot results, further rollout will be determined by YouTube.