Hank Green pauses YouTube channels after admitting he relied too heavily on AI

Science communicator and YouTuber Hank Green has announced he is pausing several of his YouTube projects after acknowledging that he had been relying "too heavily" on artificial intelligence during the research process for one of his videos.

The backlash followed the release of a 55-minute episode of Ask Hank Anything featuring creator Soupytime, which was uploaded to the Complexly YouTube channel on July 30.

Criticism began after a clip from the episode circulated online, with some viewers claiming Green appeared to be reading language generated by ChatGPT during a "Future Hank" segment.

Responding to the claims, Green reviewed his notes and script and said the disputed line had not come from ChatGPT. However, he confirmed that he had used the chatbot while researching the episode.

"I did use ChatGPT for research on this script," Green said, adding that he had been "relying too much on generated notes."

Green described it as "a bad habit" that developed while he was overcommitted and producing content under "a ton of pressure".

He maintained that the line criticised by viewers was improvised and stemmed from an earlier discussion with Soupytime rather than AI-generated text.

Despite that clarification, many viewers questioned whether AI-assisted research aligned with Complexly's reputation for fact-checked educational content.

Some also pointed to several fact-checking notes included throughout the episode, which highlighted claims researchers could not verify.

In a lengthy post on the r/nerdfighters subreddit, Green apologised to viewers, saying he was "mortified" to have disappointed them.

He acknowledged relying "too heavily on AI as a research aid" but said he used it to locate academic papers and other resources rather than to form his opinions.

"I promise you, you are still getting my takes based on what I read, know, and learn," he wrote.

Green also said the "dopamine" he experienced from interacting with large language models and producing increasing amounts of content had become unhealthy. He revealed that both his wife, Katherine, and his brother, John Green, had expressed concerns.

As a result, Green said viewers should expect fewer uploads on hankschannel, with the possibility of it pausing entirely for a period.

He also confirmed that his projects SMUSH and 4×3 are being paused while he reassesses his workload and focuses on completing what he described as a long-term video that "really really matters."

"I'm very sorry for harming the thing this is all based on," Green concluded.