Study Reveals Over 20% of YouTube Shorts Are Low-Quality AI-Generated Content
Brief news summary
New research from video-editing company Kapwing reveals that over 20% of videos shown to new users on YouTube Shorts are low-quality, AI-generated content, often referred to as "AI slop." In a study of the first 500 videos in a fresh YouTube Shorts algorithm, 104 were AI-generated and 165 were labeled as "brainrot"—nonsensical, intellectually corrosive content, frequently AI-produced. Together, these forms make up 54% of the content. The prevalence of AI slop varies by country: Spain leads with 20.22 million subscribers to AI slop channels but fewer top-ranked channels, while the U.S. has nine such channels among its top 100 and 14.47 million subscribers. This trend reflects a broader issue across social media platforms, with AI-generated low-quality content increasingly dominating feeds. The Kapwing study highlights that AI slop is unlikely to disappear soon, affecting the quality of content users encounter daily.If it seems like there’s a lot of AI slop on YouTube, that’s because there truly is a significant amount of AI-generated low-quality content on the platform. This comes from fresh research by video-editing company Kapwing, as reported by The Guardian, which revealed that more than one in every five videos recommended by the YouTube Shorts algorithm to new users is AI-generated, low-quality content—commonly referred to as AI slop. One of the most striking findings in Kapwing’s study is that among the first 500 videos appearing in a brand-new, untouched YouTube Shorts feed, 104 were AI-generated, while 165 were categorized as "brainrot"—representing 21% and 33%, respectively. Combined, these make up a staggering 54% of the content. Kapwing describes brainrot content as "nonsensical, low-quality video content that creates the effect of corroding the viewer’s mental or intellectual state, " and notes that brainrot is often AI-generated as well. The appetite for AI slop varies by country.
Kapwing found that Spain’s AI slop channels collectively have the highest number of subscribers at 20. 22 million, more than any other country, although Spain has fewer AI slop channels among its top 100 channels compared to others. The United States hosts nine such channels in its top 100 and ranks third in total AI slop subscribers with 14. 47 million. YouTube is not alone in facing the influx of AI slop across social media platforms, but the Kapwing study highlights that AI slop is here to stay. As Mashable’s Tim Marcin noted earlier this month, AI slop is increasingly dominating our feeds—from fabricated footage of animals on surveillance cameras to videos showing heavy machinery removing barnacles from whales.
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Study Reveals Over 20% of YouTube Shorts Are Low-Quality AI-Generated Content
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