YouTube just threw open the doors to its AI likeness detection tool for celebrities and talent agencies. No YouTube channel required. Actors, musicians, athletes—anyone whose face fuels deepfake nightmares—can now upload a digital replica of themselves and scan the platform for unauthorized copies. The move builds directly on YouTube’s Content ID system, that workhorse which spots copyrighted clips amid uploads and hands rights holders choices: yank it, monetize it, or track it. Here, the tech hunts visual matches of enrolled faces in AI-generated videos. Spot a match? Enrollees get notified. They decide: flag for privacy violation, hit with a copyright claim, or ignore. Parody and satire stay safe, per YouTube’s policies. Audio detection looms on the horizon. TechCrunch broke the news on April 21, 2026, detailing how major agencies like CAA, UTA, WME, and Untitled Management shaped the tool through feedback ( TechCrunch ). This isn’t a blind rollout.…