YouTube has updated the rules of its Partner Program and, for the first time, clearly explained which videos made with the help of artificial intelligence will not earn a single penny on the platform. The new version of the rules divides so-called inauthentic content into three groups. Creators whose channels are filled with this type of video will lose access to advertising revenue. The changes took effect on July 16 and apply to all members of the Partner Program.
New changes
The company is not banning artificial intelligence as such. YouTube’s head of trust and safety, Matt Halprin, explained this in a video on the Creator Insider channel, where the platform informs creators about new developments. According to him, the technology itself can help creators make many great videos and enhance their creativity. At the same time, however, the same tool makes it possible to churn out large numbers of very similar clips that have no story or original idea. And this is precisely the kind of content YouTube does not want.
Halprin talks about content farms, meaning videos that exist solely to make money. Last year, the company laid the foundations for rules against mass-produced and repetitive content. It is now adding more details and clearly defining when the use of artificial intelligence in video creation is eligible for monetization and when it is not.
First group: cookie-cutter videos
The first category includes generic, highly repetitive content built from templates. These are clips that barely differ from one another and are created mainly using automated tools, computer graphics, or copied AI-generated scripts. The channel thus becomes filled with cookie-cutter videos.
Halprin warned that tutorial videos may also fall under this rule if they merely repeat what already exists on the platform instead of offering something original. According to YouTube, anyone who wants to offer this kind of content must at least provide a fresh perspective.
Second group: content that drives viewers away
The second type consists of videos that YouTube describes as repulsive or emotionally manipulative. They are made to cause distress and attract clicks. As an example, Halprin cited channels featuring staged animal rescues, in which someone first puts an animal in danger only to then rescue it on camera.
Viewers themselves told the company that they find this content objectionable and that it makes them reluctant to return to the channel in question, or sometimes even to the entire platform. Channels built around such videos will lose monetization regardless of whether they were created with the help of artificial intelligence. The new rules are walking a fine line, however, and according to Gizmo, they will likely make life more difficult for channels focused on news reporting as well.
Third group: fake hosts discussing sensitive topics
The final category targets artificial characters, meaning virtual avatars that imitate real people. YouTube does not want creators to make money from channels where a synthetically generated host gives advice on sensitive and high-risk topics. It specifically names health, personal finance, legal issues, and medical matters.
Any channel with an excessively high proportion of any of these three types of content will lose the ability to earn money.
Concerns about AI slop
The stricter rules are driven by concerns that low-quality AI-generated videos will flood recommendation feeds. According to recent industry estimates, as much as one-fifth of the videos the platform serves to new viewers consist of this low-quality AI content. The situation is even worse with Shorts, the short vertical-video format, where such material accounts for roughly every other video. According to available information, YouTube has already begun removing the worst channels, but the process resembles a game of cat and mouse.
The Partner Program, which allows creators to earn money from advertising and subscriptions, is absolutely crucial to YouTube. If the company allowed it to become clogged with junk and low-quality videos, it would be acting against its own financial interests. The platform is also engaged in a fierce battle with traditional television and streaming services for advertising revenue. Google is succeeding: its video platform now earns more from advertising than competing streaming services and has even overtaken Netflix in average daily viewership worldwide. That is precisely why the company needs viewers to find a high-quality environment and advertisers not to worry about the reputation of their brands.
Sources: androidheadlines.com
