Of the first 500 videos shown, 104 were classified as AI slops.
More than a fifth of videos recommended to new YouTube users are “AI slops,” a study finds, raising new concerns about the platform's quality.
The term refers to low-quality, AI-generated videos designed to increase views and ad revenue rather than provide meaningful information or entertain.
The findings come from video editing company Kapwing, which studied 15,000 of YouTube's most popular channels around the world.
After analyzing the top 100 channels in each country, we found 278 channels containing only AI slops.
Together, these channels have been viewed over 63 billion times and have over 221 million subscribers. Mr Kapwing estimates the company generates revenues of around £90m each year.
The researchers also created a new YouTube account to test the recommendation algorithm.
Of the first 500 videos shown, 104 were classified as AI slops.
A third of the recommended videos were labeled “brainrot.” This is a broader category that includes AI slop and other low-quality content designed to monetize attention.
The study provides a snapshot of what Kapwing describes as a rapidly expanding industry, which he claims has saturated major social media platforms such as YouTube, X and Meta.
A Guardian analysis from early 2025 found that nearly 10% of the fastest growing channels on YouTube were driven by AI.
These channels racked up millions of views, despite the platform's stated efforts to curb “inauthentic content.”
Kapwing discovered that AI slop channels are distributed across the globe and monitored around the world.
In Spain, 20 million people follow trending AI channels. The AI channel has 18 million followers in Egypt, 14.5 million in the US, and 13.5 million in Brazil.
The most viewed channel in the study was India-based Bandar Apna Dost with 2.4 billion views.
It features a muscular character modeled after an anthropomorphic rhesus macaque and the Incredible Hulk. The characters fight demons and travel in helicopters made of tomatoes.
Kapwing estimates the channel could earn up to $4.25 million.
Rohini Lakshane, a technology and digital rights researcher, said Bandar Apna Dost's appeal is likely rooted in its format.
She stated that its popularity is probably due to its absurdity, highly masculine metaphors, and lack of plot. The lack of narrative makes it easy for new viewers to tune in without context.
Other high-performing channels seem to target children.
Some AI slop channels focus on disaster imagery.
Pakistan-based AI World features AI-generated short stories of catastrophic floods. That video has a title like poor people, poor familyand flood kitchen.
Many are set to the soundtrack “Relaxing Rain, Thunder & Lightning Ambience for Sleep.”
The channel has a total of 1.3 billion views.
The overall scale of the AI decline remains difficult to quantify, as YouTube does not publish annual views or detailed data on AI-generated content.
But researchers argue that this trend reflects a semi-structured industry built around exploiting algorithms.
Creator payment programs are often opaque and income unpredictable.
This ecosystem is also full of scammers who can sell courses and tips and earn more money than the creators themselves.
Despite these risks, AI slop can still support a livelihood for some people.
New formats emerge all the time that grab attention, but success largely depends on the platform's algorithms.
YouTube said generative AI itself is not the problem.
A spokesperson said: “Generative AI is a tool, and like any other tool, it can be used to create both high-quality and low-quality content.
“We remain focused on connecting users with high-quality content, regardless of how that content is created.
“All content uploaded to YouTube must comply with our Community Guidelines, and we will remove content if we find it violates our policies.”
