Research: YouTube delivers low-quality AI content to new users in 20% of cases
28 December 08:06
More than 20% of the videos that YouTube’s algorithms offer to new users are “AI slop,” low-quality content created with the help of artificial intelligence. Revenue from its views is about $117 million annually.
This is stated in the results of a study conducted by the video editing company Kapwing, the Guardian writes, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Kapwing surveyed 15 thousand of the most popular YouTube channels in the world – including the top 100 in each country – and found that 278 of them contain only AI slop.
According to estimates, such slop channels have gained more than 63 billion views and 221 million subscribers, generating about $117 million in revenue per year.
The researchers also experimented themselves: they created a new YouTube account and saw what the algorithm would recommend. It turned out that 104 out of the first 500 videos recommended in the feed were also from the “AI slop”.
This year, the Guardian’s own analysis showed that almost 10% of the fastest growing YouTube channels consisted of AI garbage.
Examples of channels with “slop”
One of the most popular channels that the study found is Bandar Apna Dost in India. It currently has 2.4 billion views. The page tells the story of the adventures of a rhesus monkey and a character modeled after the Hulk, who fights demons and travels in a helicopter made of tomatoes. Kapwing estimates that the channel can earn up to $4.25 million.
The Pouty Frenchie channel, created in Singapore, has 2 billion views and is aimed at children. It tells about the adventures of a French bulldog: a trip to the candy forest, eating crystal sushi. Kapwing estimates its revenue at almost $4 million per year.
The AI World, a Pakistani channel, publishes short films created with the help of AI about catastrophic floods in Pakistan with titles such as Poor People, Poor Family, and Kitchen in Flood. Many of these videos are accompanied by a soundtrack called “Relaxing Rain, Thunder and Lightning to Sleep.” The channel itself has 1.3 billion views.
“Slop” as the word of the year 2025
Slop was chosen as the word of the year 2025 by the American Merriam-Webster dictionary, the Macquarie Dictionary, the main dictionary of Australian English, and The Economist magazine.
