YouTube revises its Partner Program rules to tackle spammy AI video trend
This isn't YouTube’s first step in fighting AI abuse.
Back when AI tools started going mainstream in 2023, they were hailed as a kind of magic wand, a shortcut to creativity, productivity, and even passive income.
Fast forward to today, social media platforms are already drowning in what many now call AI slop: low-effort, mass-produced, and often misleading content churned out with the help of generative AI. YouTube, in particular, has been hit hard, and it’s finally tightening its grip.
Starting July 15, YouTube will update its Partner Program (YPP) monetisation policies, reinforcing what kind of content is eligible to earn creators money. While YouTube insists this is just a “minor update” to better explain existing rules, it’s clearly a move to combat the growing flood of repetitive, AI-generated videos on the platform.
Henry Chikwem
According to the updated help docs, monetised content must now be “original” and “authentic”, terms YouTube says it has always required, but now wants to define more clearly. This includes cracking down on slideshows with stock footage and AI voiceovers, reaction videos without genuine commentary, and Shorts that follow highly repetitive formats. Basically, if your video looks and sounds like it came off an AI assembly line, it might not be making you money anymore.
This isn't YouTube’s first step in fighting AI abuse. The platform already rolled out labels for AI-generated content, launched tools to combat deepfakes, and introduced mechanisms to flag potential plagiarism. But none of that really hit creators where it hurts: monetisation. If creators can’t make money off spammy AI videos, the incentive to keep making them shrinks, at least in theory.
Not exactly.. to clarify, this is a minor update to our long-standing YPP policies to help us *better identify* when content is mass-produced or repetitive. This type of content has already been ineligible for monetization for years, and is content viewers often consider spam
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) July 3, 2025
While YouTube plays this off as a clarification rather than a crackdown, it’s clearly a response to the AI chaos flooding the platform. And it’s not alone. TikTok and Meta have also been trying to label or restrict AI-generated content, but with mixed success. YouTube’s approach of going after monetisation might actually move the needle.
In the end, whether this truly curbs AI slop or just pushes it into new formats remains to be seen. But for creators banking on low-effort, AI-driven videos to rake in ad dollars, the easy money days may be numbered.
Louis Eriakha
