Mass-produced, surreal AI-generated content is exploding on YouTube, with AI-only channels now accounting for nearly one in 10 of the fastest-growing channels globally.
UK newspaper the Guardian reviewed data from analytics firm Playboard, discovering that out of the 100 fastest growing channels in July, nine were showing purely AI-generated content. While the nature of the content varies wildly – from an infant exploring space to an anthropomorphised cat melodrama – nearly all qualify as ‘AI slop’, a term for low-quality, mass-produced content that is surreal, uncanny or even grotesque. The Guardian noted that only some “contain a brief, rudimentary plot.”
YouTube has taken steps to reduce the flood of AI slop, updating a policy preventing the sharing of advertising revenue with “repetitious content” or “inauthentic content” that is repetitive or mass-produced.
The rise of AI-only channels is relatively new, spurred by advancements in AI-generated video tools like Google’s Veo 3 and Grok Imagine. Of the nine channels identified by the Guardian in July, five are marked as new and three of those gained nearly all of their subscribers in July, shooting up as much as 98.6 percent.
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All boast more than a million subscribers, the largest nearly 5 million, and the difficulty of monitoring content on YouTube means some are able to cash in despite the policy change. After being contacted by the Guardian for comment on channels in the June and July rankings, YouTube removed three and blocked two more from receiving advertising income.
AI slop isn’t exclusive to YouTube. Instagram’s Reels video feature faces a similar influx as does TikTok.
“AI slop is flooding the internet with content that essentially is garbage,” Dr Akhil Bhardwaj, an associate professor at the University of Bath’s school of management, told the Guardian. “This enshittification is ruining online communities on Pinterest, competing for revenue with artists on Spotify and flooding YouTube with poor-quality content.”
Bhardwaj stressed the regulation and demonetisation are essential to preventing the problem from growing.
