Exploring the rise of AI-generated content on YouTube

Keeping up with the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI) can be just as challenging as understanding how it actually works.

22:08 17 June 2024

YouTube is a prime example of the titanic shift in media consumption. Gone are the days of newspapers, TV news and radio stations delivering entertainment or keeping us posted on world events. It’s now sites like YouTube, which are a one-stop shop for absolutely anything, and the streaming wars between the likes of Netflix, Paramount+ and Disney+ that facilitate a lot of the film and TV series we watch. 

Keeping up with the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI) can be just as challenging as understanding how it actually works. It’s set to change every industry, except perhaps some manual-intensive jobs; no industry or sector will be unaffected, and YouTube has already started to witness changes on every level of its platform. 

With so much AI news knocking about and almost daily developments pushing the level of investment in the sector into the trillions, content creators are increasingly finding ways to harness this technology so that it works for them and doesn’t end up putting them out of a job. 

The DIY YouTube school has led to many entertainers growing organically, appealing to their audiences entirely, bypassing any traditional avenues or hoops that people would usually have to jump through to become successful names in entertainment. Whatever you think of characters like Logan and Jake Paul, they are two of the clearest examples of how YouTube has created lucrative careers for those who can corner the market and attract a lot of subscribers to their channels.

What has fuelled the rise of AI-generated YouTube content?

It’s a blend of market saturation and a 24/7 conveyor belt of content. We’re living in a unique time where news is genuinely instant. As little as 50 years ago, it could take days for news to travel across continents and reach radio and newspapers. Thanks to the rise of social media, people can share videos and news content that is globally accessible within minutes. 

Due to this nonstop nature, many content creators do not have time to churn out an unstoppable flurry of content, news and videos. Some of the more prominent names will have teams working for them who help manage their YouTube channels, schedule posts or have a backlog of content they can post to remain relevant.

This means that budding YouTube content creators must think of more creative ways to stay ahead — whether through mass content production or finding unique angles that will perk people’s interest. AI-generated content can tick both these boxes, even starting with just a basic prompt. Depending on the video software used, AI can generate videos that are minutes long, and creators can simply schedule them to be posted as soon as they’re ready.

Do users prefer AI or human content?

A few years ago, this would’ve been a no-brainer as AI was still primitive, a lot of the content was poorly put together and to boil it down to the fundamental facts, it just wasn’t entertaining. However, now that it’s quickly become a trillion-pound sector, with prominent newspapers in the UK using it to write headlines and the fact it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to separate what is AI-generated and what is not, there has been an explosive rise in the amount of AI content online. 

Social media is awash with ridiculous AI-generated content, from Jeremy Clarkson doing a cover of Angels by Robbie Williams to entire stand-up comedy sets written and performed by AI. Over the last few weeks, TikTok became the first prominent platform to label AI-generated content in a bid to stop widespread misinformation spreading across its platform.

AI is used to implement marketing strategies as well. Many people mistakenly believe it’s simply a case of working from prompts and completely oversaturating the market with lukewarm content with zero craft or any distinguishable identity. In fact, AI bleeds into all facets of the industry as well. TikTok’s recent move could indicate the top of the curve for this particular trend, and there will be increasing pressure for all other social media sites, including YouTube, to monitor it correctly.

Will users revert to human-designed content?

Some people dismiss AI in content creation and believe it is a fad that will pass as users become bored of clearly disingenuous content and revert back to thoughtfully constructed, structured content. Others are not so sure. Of course, it won’t be a fad for the industries that are already seeing massive changes. Although AI is starting to create a disruptive presence in many art and content creation avenues, we’d like to think that those who digest content on YouTube usually do so because they’re drawn to the individual or group behind the channel. 

A lot of YouTube channels attract subscriptions because of their unique angles, which usually involves human-based content. Subscribers will want information, opinions and content that stems from the person directly, and YouTube is awash with shoddily thrown-together content, which clearly uses AI voiceover tools, contains multiple spelling mistakes or involves poorly sourced content that fails to be entertaining. 

Final say

Who knows if this trend will continue? Social media has created an environment where the infamous “15 minutes of fame” quote from Andy Warhol now seems too long for some of these influencers or viral content; it’s more like five minutes. With so many influencers desperate for attention from strangers on the internet, there seems to be less of a focus on whether the content is human-driven or AI-generated — it’s a simple case of doing anything to get likes and subscribers. 

Given the total oversaturation of sites like YouTube, with AI-generated content simply compounding it, it’d be a surprise to see the company not act against it. Although it does bring people to the site, and some people are intrigued by AI content and what it has to offer, the bottom line is that it’s diluting the market and could end up having a serious, negative impact on the quality of content on the site over the next few years. That's not to say there's no funny, quality AI content though.