YouTube is taking aggressive steps to remove AI-generated spam content that could undermine its position as a top destination for advertisers and streaming viewers.
YouTube Deletes Popular AI Channels
The video platform shut down more than a dozen popular AI channels, including videos featuring talking cats and religious figures, according to an analysis by Kapwing, a video editing platform, as reported by Business Insider.
Some of the channels were drawing millions of views before being removed.
AI Content Floods YouTube Feeds
In November, Kapwing reported that roughly 21% of videos in YouTube feeds were AI-generated, highlighting the growing influence of low-quality automated content.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said reducing such content is a top priority for 2026.
"YouTube doesn't allow spam, scams, or other deceptive practices that take advantage of the YouTube community," a company spokesperson said regarding the account removals.
Mohan added, "To reduce the spread of low-quality AI content, we're actively building on our established systems that have been very successful in combating spam and clickbait, and reducing the spread of low-quality, repetitive content."
YouTube Pushes AI, Creator Growth
Earlier, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) positioned YouTube to lead the next phase of digital entertainment as competition with Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) intensified.
The company highlighted that creators were driving major cultural moments across formats, including long-form videos, Shorts, which averaged 200 billion daily views, music, livestreams, and podcasts.
YouTube reported paying over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies in the past four years and planned to expand monetization tools such as shopping and brand deals.
The platform also invested in YouTube TV enhancements, music discovery, and AI-powered tools for recommendations, enforcement, and content creation to support the creator economy.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
