Low-quality AI-generated videos now make up a significant share of what users see on YouTube, raising concerns about platform quality, monetisation, and misinformation, according to new research by Kapwing.
The study estimates that 21-33% of YouTube’s content feed may consist of what it describes as “AI slop” or “brainrot” videos. These are cheaply produced, repetitive videos generated using AI tools, designed mainly to attract views rather than provide meaningful content.
Kapwing’s analysis also suggests that some of these channels may be earning millions of dollars annually, despite minimal human effort or creative input.
What the Research Found About the YouTube Feed
Kapwing examined the top 100 trending YouTube channels in each country, identifying those that primarily publish AI-generated content. The company then used Social Blade data to assess views, subscribers, and estimated earnings. To understand what new users see, researchers also created a fresh YouTube account and reviewed the first 500 Shorts shown in the feed.
Among the most striking findings:
- Spain has the highest number of subscribers linked to trending AI slop channels, with a combined 20.22 million subscribers
- South Korea leads in views, with AI slop channels generating 8.45 billion views
- The most-viewed AI slop channel globally is Bandar Apna Dost from India, with 2.07 billion views, and an estimated annual revenue of $4.25 million
- A US-based Spanish-language channel, Cuentos Facinantes, has the highest subscriber count among AI slop channels at 5.95 million
- 33% of videos shown in a new user’s YouTube Shorts feed were classified as brainrot content
How AI Slop Gains Reach on YouTube
The research shows that AI slop does not need large numbers of YouTube channels to dominate attention. In Spain, for example, only eight AI slop channels appeared among the top 100 trending channels, yet they attracted more subscribers than countries with far more such channels.
In South Korea, a single channel, Three Minutes Wisdom, accounted for nearly a quarter of the country’s total AI slop views, with 2.02 billion views. Kapwing estimates that this channel alone could earn over $4 million per year from ads.
Many of these videos follow simple, repetitive formats, such as animals in dramatic situations, quiz-style religious content, or fictional characters in endless variations of the same scenario, making them cheap and fast to produce at scale.
Kapwing’s findings align with how YouTube Shorts are designed and distributed. Shorts rely heavily on algorithmic recommendations rather than subscriber-based feeds, increasing exposure for high-volume publishers regardless of prior audience size.
Short-form video platforms reward frequent uploads, quick watch times, and continuous scrolling, which makes the format particularly well-suited to AI-generated content that creators can produce and publish rapidly with minimal…
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