A YouTube avatar is an AI version of you that YouTube builds from a short selfie video and voice recording, so you can generate videos that look and sound like you. You create it once in the YouTube app or the YouTube Create app, you must be 18 or over and own a YouTube channel, and only you can use it.
This is different from your channel profile picture, which some people also call an avatar. Here's how the AI avatar works, where it's available, how to make one and what happens to your face and voice data if you delete it.
Who can create a YouTube avatar
- You're 18 or older.
- You're the channel owner of an existing YouTube channel.
- You're in a country where it's live. In the YouTube app, YouTube says it's available to everyone in Australia, Canada, the United States and New Zealand, with other countries rolling out gradually.
YouTube describes the avatar as building on its existing ingredients-to-video tools. The difference is accuracy: instead of describing yourself in a prompt, you're adding a digital version of your own face and voice.
How to create your avatar in the YouTube app
- Sign in to the YouTube app on your phone.
- Tap Create in the top right to open AI playground.
- Tap Create video, then Make a video with my avatar.
- Follow the prompts to record your selfie and your voice.
- Preview the avatar, then tap Next to use it or Retake to record again.
- Type a prompt describing the video you want and tap generate.
You can also do it from the YouTube Create app by tapping the My Avatar banner on the home page. You only need to create it once: YouTube says changes made in one app show up in the other automatically.
Adding yourself to someone else's Short
On eligible Shorts in the Shorts feed, tap Remix, then Reimagine, then Add me to this scene. If you haven't made an avatar yet, you can create it from there.
Recording tips so YouTube accepts it
| Check | What YouTube asks for |
|---|---|
| Phone position | At eye level, with you in the centre of the screen |
| Lighting | Not too dim and not too bright |
| Your face | Eyes, nose and mouth visible. Glasses are fine, but no sunglasses, masks or hats |
| Sound | A quiet room with no other voices in the background |
| Background | No other people or pictures of faces behind you |
| Who records | The account owner only, and never a child |
| Movement | Follow the on-screen actions, then bring your face back to the centre |
Every avatar video is labelled as AI
This is the part creators should know before they post. YouTube says all videos generated with an avatar carry YouTube's AI disclosure, and any video made with the feature and downloaded or published includes visible watermarks and digital labels, SynthID and C2PA, marking it as AI-generated. You can't pass an avatar video off as filmed footage. I've explained how YouTube's AI label works separately, and if you're in the Partner Program it's worth reading whether AI videos affect YouTube monetisation before you lean on them.
How to retake or delete your avatar
In the YouTube app, open AI playground, tap Create video, then Make a video with my avatar, and tap Edit on your avatar. Tap Retake to record again or the bin icon, then Delete, to remove it. In the YouTube Create app, go to the You tab, then Manage avatar, and choose Update avatar or Delete avatar.
| If you delete | What happens |
|---|---|
| Your avatar | Your recorded selfie and voice data for it are permanently removed from YouTube, and you can't make new videos with it |
| Your avatar | Videos you already published and their remixes are not deleted |
| A video with your avatar | The video goes, but your avatar stays on your account |
| Nothing for 3 years | YouTube automatically deletes an avatar that hasn't been used to create new content in that time |
Stopping other people remixing your avatar Shorts
In YouTube Studio on a computer, open Content, click the video, click Show more, find Shorts remixing and choose Allow only audio remixing, then save. YouTube says opting a Short out of video remixing after publishing also deletes any video remixes already made from it.
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My verdict
If you make Shorts and you're in one of the four launch countries, it's worth a test: one recording gives you a reusable on-camera version of yourself for the days you can't film. Go in clear-eyed, though. Every avatar video is watermarked as AI, so use it for explainers and fun remixes rather than anything where your audience expects you on camera for real. And set your Shorts remixing to audio only from day one if you'd rather nobody else puts your face into their scenes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a YouTube avatar?
A YouTube avatar is an AI version of you that YouTube builds from a short selfie video and voice recording, so you can generate videos that look and sound like you.
Who can make a YouTube avatar?
You need to be 18 or older and the owner of an existing YouTube channel. In the YouTube app it's available to everyone in Australia, Canada, the United States and New Zealand, with other countries rolling out gradually.
Are YouTube avatar videos labelled as AI?
Yes. YouTube says every video generated with an avatar carries its AI disclosure, plus visible watermarks and SynthID and C2PA labels when downloaded or published.
Does deleting my YouTube avatar delete my videos?
No. Deleting your avatar permanently removes your recorded selfie and voice data, but videos you already published and their remixes aren't deleted.
Does a YouTube avatar expire?
Yes. YouTube automatically deletes an avatar that hasn't been used to create new content for 3 years.
