YouTube is finally taking action against the numerous AI trailer videos that have appeared across its platform. If you have browsed online in recent years, you have likely encountered one of these AI-generated film trailers, and perhaps even left a comment on their questionable content.
Such trailers frequently include clips of popular actors edited together from various other works or, increasingly, entirely fake footage intended to promote non-existent films. This phenomenon has emerged primarily for the sake of generating revenue, and as a result, YouTube has decided to suspend multiple significant AI trailer channels from participating in the platform’s paid partner program.
This decision follows an investigation by Deadline, which highlighted the surge of AI trailers on YouTube. The channels Screen Culture and KH Studio, boasting 1.4 million and 724,000 subscribers respectively on their primary accounts, have also been suspended from earning revenue based on their AI content.
“Our enforcement decisions, including suspensions from the YouTube partner program, apply to all channels that may be owned or operated by the impacted creator.”
The cessation of monetization for these channels marks a proactive step towards reducing the misleading content in circulation. It appears that not only these trailer channels but also some established Hollywood studios such as Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony have sought to earn ad revenue from trailers created by Screen Culture. Consequently, there has been little incentive for the original IP holders to halt the dissemination of these AI-generated videos, especially with financial gains flowing in.
With the suspension enacted on these prominent channels, there is hope that the frequency of AI trailers on YouTube will diminish significantly. Without financial motivation, creators may be less inclined to produce misleading content.
This could signal the beginning of more stringent enforcement measures from YouTube against AI-driven content on its platform, although some might view this as an overly optimistic expectation.
