YouTube has tightened monetization rules to limit monetization from low-quality content made using generative artificial intelligence. The goal is to reduce the spread of so-called “AI slop” content, i.e. mass-produced AI videos of little or almost no value, which clutter the “feed” and serve primarily to collect views.
According to the new rules of the YouTube Partner Program, that is, the YPP program, channels that mechanically produce a large number of similar videos will no longer be able to count on earnings from advertisements. YouTube does not ban the use of AI tools in production, but makes a clear distinction between creative use of the technology and automated churning out content with no real editorial value.
The first category that remains unmonetized refers to content mass-produced using AI tools, CGI technology or other automated systems, especially when the videos are slightly different from each other and do not have a clear narrative structure. In other words, the problem is not that AI was used, but that the content seems like factory-generated material without human input.
YouTube AI content must be creative and have a clear structure to be able to make money from ads
The second category includes videos made solely to increase views, even when they do not use AI. YouTube specifically mentions unpleasant, provocative or manipulative formats, such as directed videos of animal rescues. Matt Halprin, YouTube’s director of trust and safety, said that users have made it clear that such content is uncomfortable for them and that they do not want to return to certain channels or the platform itself because of it.
A third important prohibition concerns AI avatars that imitate real people and provide advice in sensitive areas. Channels using such avatars for financial investment advice, medical diagnosis, legal consultation or similar services will not be able to generate revenue through YPP. YouTube apparently wants to prevent situations where automated characters act as authorities in areas where the wrong advice can have serious consequences.
Halprin stresses that AI tools can help creators produce quality content, but that YouTube will strictly monitor channels that rely on automated systems to mass-produce videos without narrative, originality and human creativity.
YouTube already changed the rules last year, when it renamed the “duplicate content” policy to “mass-produced content”, in order to more easily include content that was mass-generated or concluded using AI tools. The new amendment further specifies the boundary: AI is allowed as a tool, but not as a substitute for the author.
Because of this, channels that until now counted on cheap automation and a large number of similar videos will have to change their approach. In the future, monetization will depend on whether content has a clear idea, structure, creative input and real value to viewers, not just how quickly it can be made.