Anyone who spends time on YouTube knows that the platform is flooded with low-quality, AI-generated videos. A new global study by Kapwing examined how this vile, brain-rotting content (as it is known) is spreading across different countries, and perhaps more interestingly, how the biggest AI channels compare to traditional creators in both reach and revenue.
The report examined more than 15,000 YouTube channels and comes at a time when people are still debating the creative and ethical value of AI in video production. Film schools now offer classes on the use and ethics of generative tools, and brands are experimenting with AI in their creative work, with mixed results.
Some creators are using AI tools to improve their videos, while others rely on quick, prompt-driven content that requires little effort and is primarily designed to get quick views. These clips appear more and more often in YouTube’s recommendations.
To understand how prevalent this type of content is, Kapwing reviewed the top 100 trending channels in each country available on playboard.co. We then identified channels that relied on AI-generated videos and extracted views, total subscribers, and estimated annual revenue from Social Blade.
The combined dataset shows what the audience for this material is and in which countries this material is seen the most.
The Spanish trending slop channel is the channel with the highest number of total subscribers. South Korea leads the way with more than 8 billion total views across trending AI production channels. India’s Bandar Apna Dost is the most-watched personal channel in the study, with over 2 billion views and an estimated annual revenue of over $4 million. In the United States, the Cuentos Facinantes channel has the largest subscriber base of the slop channels listed in the report.
Kapwing also wanted to understand what new users would see in YouTube Shorts. They created a new account and recorded the first 500 videos that were viewed. About a third of these clips were identified as Brainrot, demonstrating how quickly this type of content can take over new feeds.
The full report, accessible here, includes data and visuals that illustrate the overall scale of AI-generated video.
What do you think about the rise of AI slop videos and brain rot videos? Let us know in the comments.
