Study Shows Nearly A Quarter Of YouTube Videos Fed To New Accounts Are 'AI Slop'

According to new research from Kapwing, more than one in five videos recommended to brand-new YouTube accounts are low-quality, AI-generated clips appropriately known as "AI slop." These videos, which are also taking over social media, are mainly made to capture people's attention and generate advertising revenue, but they're not as harmless as that makes them sound. Kapwing's research shows this slop is completely reshaping YouTube's ecosystem as we know it.

In its study, Kapwing analyzed global channel performance and the experience of a freshly created YouTube account. Its researchers found that of the first 500 videos served to a new account, 104 were AI slop. That's over 20%. The findings suggest that YouTube's recommendation system isn't doing this by accident; instead, it's habitually and intentionally exposing new users to it. AI slop isn't the only issue, either: Kapwing also found that a third of the first 500 videos are compulsive, low-quality "brainrot" videos, whether AI-generated or not.

Kapwing's findings also discovered implications beyond individual feeds. By reviewing the top 100 trending YouTube channels in every country, it found that hundreds of high-ranking channels are dedicated almost entirely to AI-generated videos. Collectively, these channels have racked up tens of billions of views and hundreds of millions of subscribers worldwide. That breaks down to an estimated $117 million in annual revenue. And who knows how much revenue is coming from those fake celebrity-fronted AI scam ads on YouTube, as well.

The study found that these channels mostly upload surreal or absurd animated shorts with no clear plot, or bright, looping animations geared toward children. Some of the largest audiences for these channels include Spain, South Korea, Egypt, Brazil, and India. In fact, India-based channel Bandar Apna Dost was cited as the most-viewed channel in the entire study. This single channel has more than 2 billion views alone.

Despite what the research shows, YouTube insists that it won't ban generative AI, so long as channels disclose its use. It still begs some questions, though: Why stay neutral when your site's recommendation systems are amplifying such low-value content? What if it gets so bad that it drives top creators away? It's something YouTube will need to consider as AI slop continues to multiply. In the meantime, if you're sick of AI slop and brainrot on your feed, it helps to know how to improve your recommendations.