Is YouTube feeding users "AI garbage"? Over 20% of what new users see is AI-generated
Kyiv • UNN
A Kapwing study found that over 20% of videos recommended by YouTube to new users are low-quality, AI-generated content. 278 of the 15,000 most popular YouTube channels contain only AI content, generating $117 million in revenue annually.
A study has shown that more than 20% of the videos that the YouTube algorithm shows to new users are "AI junk" – low-quality content created by artificial intelligence, designed to increase views, UNN reports with reference to The Guardian.
Video editing company Kapwing researched the world's 15,000 most popular YouTube channels – the top 100 in each country – and found that 278 of them contained only AI-generated content.
These AI channels are estimated to have collectively garnered over 63 billion views and 221 million subscribers, generating approximately $117 million (£90 million) in revenue each year.
Researchers also created a new YouTube account and found that 104 of the first 500 videos recommended for their feed were AI-generated. A third of the 500 videos were generally low-quality content created solely for monetization.