YouTube cracks down, deletes 4.7b views of AI spam videos
YouTube has removed 16 high-profile AI-generated "spam" channels that collectively amassed more than 4.7 billion lifetime views and over 35 million subscribers, according to an updated report from online video platform Kapwing.
The deletions mark one of the largest visible crackdowns to date on low-quality, mass-produced AI content on the platform.
Kapwing first identified the channels in a November 2025 report that ranked the 100 most-subscribed AI-driven "slop" accounts, many of which relied on automated voiceovers, recycled visuals, and repetitive themes. Since then, 16 of those channels have either been fully removed or had all their videos wiped. Together, the deleted accounts were estimated to generate around $10 million in annual revenue.
Among the channels affected were several popular automated content hubs spanning animated knockoffs, religious storytelling loops, and viral-style compilations. Some accounts remain on YouTube but no longer host any public videos, suggesting targeted content purges rather than simple demonetization.
According to Kapwing, YouTube appears to be relying on its existing spam and low-quality content detection systems rather than announcing a brand-new enforcement tool. Earlier this month, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said the company was expanding efforts to reduce repetitive, low-effort AI uploads that resemble spam or clickbait.
Despite the removals, YouTube continues to invest heavily in creator-facing AI tools. Upcoming features include AI-assisted video editing, generative Shorts content, and automatic song creation from spoken dialogue.
The move highlights YouTube's balancing act: curbing exploitative AI spam while still promoting legitimate AI-powered creativity. For creators, it signals stricter enforcement against automated bulk uploads, while viewers may see fewer repetitive, low-quality AI videos in recommendations.
YouTube was founded by Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen. The three were early employees at PayPal and had become wealthy after eBay's acquisition of the company. Hurley had studied design at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Chen and Karim studied computer science together at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
According to a story that has often been repeated in the media, Hurley and Chen developed the idea for YouTube during the early months of 2005, after they had experienced difficulty sharing videos that had been shot at a dinner party at Chen's apartment in San Francisco. Karim did not attend the party and denied that it had occurred, but Chen remarked that the idea that YouTube was founded after a dinner party "was probably very strengthened by marketing ideas around creating a story that was very digestible".
Karim said the inspiration for YouTube came from the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy when Janet Jackson's breast was briefly exposed by Justin Timberlake during the halftime show. Karim could not easily find video clips of the incident and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami online, which led to the idea of a video-sharing site. Hurley and Chen said that the original idea for YouTube was a video version of an online dating service and had been influenced by the website Hot or Not. They created posts on Craigslist asking attractive women to upload videos of themselves to YouTube in exchange for a $100 reward. Difficulty in finding enough dating videos led to a change of plans, with the site's founders deciding to accept uploads of any video.
YouTube began as a venture capitalfunded technology startup. Between November 2005 and April 2006, the company raised money from various investors, with Sequoia Capital and Artis Capital Management being the largest two. YouTube's early headquarters were situated above a pizzeria and a Japanese restaurant in San Mateo, California. In February 2005, the company registered www.youtube.com. The first video was uploaded on April 23, 2005. Titled "Me at the zoo", it shows co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo and can still be viewed on the site. The same day, the company launched a public beta and by November, a Nike ad featuring Ronaldinho became the first video to reach one million total views.