YouTube is preparing to update its policy to limit its ability to generate revenue from “fraud” content, including mass-produced videos and other repetitive videos. The company updated its YouTube Partner Program (YPP) monetization policy on July 15th to provide more detailed guidelines on the types of videos that can and cannot be monetized. Although details have not been released yet, the YouTube Help Docs page explains that authors are always needed to upload “original” and “real” content.
While some YouTube content creators have expressed concern about whether the update will limit the ability to monetize certain types of videos featuring reaction videos and clips, a post from YouTube head of YouTube editor Liaison Rene Ritchie confirmed that this is not the case. In a video update, Ritchie said the change was a “minor update” to YouTube's long-standing YPP policy, designed to better identify cases where content is mass-produced or repeated.
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This occurs amid the rise in “AI Slop” videos. AI Slop is a term that refers to low-quality videos produced by artificial intelligence. For example, it is common to find AI audio overlaid on photos, video clips, or other reused content, which are often created using text-to-video AI tools. Channels filled with AI-generated music often have millions of subscribers. Also, as Diddy Trial has received millions of opinions, there are fake videos generated by AI on news events.
One notable case is an AI-generated true crime documentary that went viral earlier this year, according to a 404 media report, with the title “Husband's Secret Gay Love and Son's Son Ends With A Fearful Murder” garnering 2 million views before it was revealed that it would be made in full. In another case, the likeness of YouTube CEO Neal Mohan was used in a phishing scam generated by the site's AI, despite the in-place tools that allow users to report deepfake videos.
YouTube also revealed that using AI does not completely prevent videos from monetizing. Videos that use AI to improve content are eligible even if they meet all other requirements.
This development generated a variety of responses. While many praise these measures to reduce “slop” content that could undermine YouTube's reputation and value, others criticize the platforms that will help grow such content in the first place. Some pointed out how YouTube CEO Neal Mohan defended a new tool for generating shorts “from scratch.” This was also considered ironic, as the tools used in AI models, including Google's VEO 3, were trained with YouTuber content without explicit permission. Additionally, what exactly constitutes “recurring content” remains unknown, as stated in the updated guidelines.
