Blog 1: Ethical Frameworks
Published on:
Exploring how YouTube’s secret use of AI raises questions about trust and ethics.
News Article:
YouTube secretly used AI to edit people’s videos. The results could bend reality
Why I Chose This Article
I chose the BBC article “YouTube secretly used AI to edit people’s videos. The results could bend reality” (Thomas Germain, August 24, 2025) because it combines two things I’m interested in: technology and ethics. I use YouTube regularly, so the idea that the platform could secretly change creators’ content without permission immediately caught my attention. It raises important questions about honesty, trust, and how much control companies should have over the media we consume. Also, it makes me think about the control these Tech companies have do our data stays safe.
Main Ethical Concerns
The big issue here is that YouTube used AI to change people’s videos without asking. These changes were small, like making skin smoother, clothes sharper, or ears look a little warped, but creators noticed something felt “off.” YouTube said it was just an experiment to improve video quality. Still, many creators felt this was dishonest and made them look different from how they wanted, and the aesthetic of their videos was missing. This also raises a bigger question: if AI keeps changing what we see, can we really trust what is “real” online?
Stakeholders
YouTube (Google): As the platform, YouTube is experimenting with AI to “improve” video quality, but risks damaging its reputation by acting without transparency. Content Creators(Youtubers): They lose control over how their videos appear. This can misrepresent their creative voice and weaken their bond with audiences. Viewers / Society: They consume altered media without knowing it, which can lead to misinformation and a blurred sense of reality. Experts / Scholars: They point out that this is part of a wider pattern where AI changes how we see the world, often without our awareness or consent.
Ethical Frameworks Discussion
Looking at this through different ethical frameworks helps reveal the complexity of the issue: Virtue Ethics: A virtuous company would act with honesty and integrity, respecting the creators who make the platform valuable. Secretly altering videos does not align with this. Care Ethics: YouTube should show empathy toward creators and their audiences, protecting the trusting relationships between them. By prioritizing its own goals, YouTube neglected this responsibility. Utilitarianism: If the goal is to maximize benefit, offering creators a choice to use AI tools could improve video quality without eroding trust. Secret experimentation, however, risks greater harm in the long run by creating distrust. Duty: YouTube has a duty to respect creators’ rights over their own content. Editing without permission violates that duty, regardless of whether the changes seem small. Overall, YouTube’s actions come across as ethically problematic because they bypass consent and undermine trust.
Reflection
Writing this blog helped me see how even small changes made by AI can have big effects on trust. What stood out to me most is that creators should always have control over their work. This exercise also showed me how useful ethical frameworks are. They helped me look at the issue in different ways, beyond just asking if the changes looked good or bad. For me, the main takeaway is that technology should be used with honesty and respect, because people’s trust is hard to earn and easy to lose.