More than one in five videos recommended to new YouTube users consists of low-quality, AI-generated material, commonly referred to as “AI slop,” according to a study by video editing company Capwing.
The study looked at the platform's 15,000 most popular channels around the world and identified 278 channels that exclusively produce such content. Combined, these channels have more than 63 billion views, more than 221 million subscribers, and estimated annual revenue of approximately $117 million.
Kapwing also created a new YouTube account and found that 104 of the first 500 recommended videos fell into the AI slop category. About a third of the recommendations were labeled “brainrot.” This is a broader group that includes AI-generated clips and other low-effort content designed to attract attention and maximize ad revenue.
The findings suggest that the burgeoning industry is flooding major social platforms such as YouTube, X, and Meta with addictive, decontextualized material. Previous analysis showed that almost 10% of YouTube's fastest-growing channels are experiencing AI slop, despite the platform's efforts to curb abusive content.
The channel has spread all over the world and attracts a huge audience. In Spain, around 20 million users follow trending AI channels, while Egypt, the US and Brazil together account for tens of millions more. One of the most-watched examples, India-based Bandar Apna Dost, has amassed 2.4 billion views and is estimated to earn millions of dollars annually with its surreal stories featuring animated monkeys and superhero-like characters.
Other notable examples include Singapore-based Pouty Frenchie, which appears to target children with animated stories that have been viewed almost 2 billion times. Pakistan-based The AI World posts AI-generated disaster scenes and has been viewed approximately 1.3 billion times.
Industry observers say the phenomenon is driven by online communities, often through Telegram, Discord, and similar platforms, who share tactics for producing and monetizing such material. Many of the creators operate in middle-income countries where potential YouTube earnings exceed local wages, but the ecosystem is also full of scammers selling courses on how to create viral content.
YouTube said that generative AI is simply a tool that can be used for both high-quality and low-quality material, adding that all videos uploaded must comply with its community guidelines, and content that violates its policies will be removed.
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