A recent update indicates that YouTube is tightening its regulations regarding AI-generated content by specifying its monetization policies. To deter creators from relying on AI and other technologies for producing subpar content, YouTube’s revised policy outlines three classifications of videos categorized as “inauthentic content” that are ineligible for monetization.

YouTube previously had regulations concerning AI content. Last year, the platform revealed it was restricting creators’ capacity to earn revenue from what it terms “inauthentic content,” including videos that are mass-produced and other forms of repetitive content made simpler by AI technologies.

However, the latest change focuses on providing additional clarity to the existing guidelines.

The new guidelines categorize inauthentic content into three groups: generic, repetitive, or template-based material; followed by content that is distressing or off-putting; and finally, any content featuring AI personas discussing sensitive topics, such as health and finance.

While determining AI slop, like adult content, may feel subjective for many, YouTube’s regulations aim to clearly outline when the use of AI in content creation is permissible or not for videos monetized through its YouTube Partner Program (YPP).

The program, which allows creators to profit from ads and subscriptions, is essential to YouTube’s operations; permitting it to be overwhelmed with AI slop or other low-quality content would not align with the company’s financial interests. This is particularly significant, as YouTube competes closely with television and streaming services for advertising revenue. Google’s video platform currently generates more advertising income than its competitors and has surpassed Netflix in average global daily views.

As YouTube’s trust and safety head Matt Halprin mentioned in a Creator Insider video last week, the intent behind the policy revision is to reduce content farming practices — a nod to low-quality videos created solely for profit.

“AI can enable individuals to produce a plethora of videos,” Halprin noted. “Sometimes those videos are exceptional, significantly enhancing creativity. You can generate a greater volume of high-quality content that we want to promote and feature in YPP.”

“Nonetheless, that same new tool can also allow for the rapid creation of numerous very similar videos. They are generic, lacking a narrative arc, and fail to exhibit your creativity. Thus, the same technology can facilitate both remarkable content and that which aligns with content farming, and that’s the content we aim to exclude from YPP,” Halprin added.

The first category he mentioned includes repetitive content, such as material easily made with AI, computer-generated imagery (CGI), or templates, showing minimal variation across videos. This results in channels filled with generic videos. Halprin notes that tutorial videos could also fall under this policy if they replicate already existing content on the platform rather than being original.

The second category highlights what YouTube refers to as “off-putting” content, or material created to be distressing or emotionally manipulative to attract views. This might involve videos depicting an animal in distress, later rescued by someone, Halprin stated.

“We’ve received feedback from our viewers that they find this content undesirable. It doesn’t encourage them to return to that channel, or possibly even the platform,” Halprin remarked.

Channels focused on this type of content will be excluded from YPP, regardless of whether the content is AI-produced or not.

The third category directly addresses the use of AI personas — digital representations of real individuals made using AI. YouTube expresses its disinterest in incentivizing creators to employ AI personas for discussions about more sensitive topics, including finance, legal matters, healthcare, and medical issues.

Any YouTube channel exhibiting excessive amounts of any of these three content types will be ineligible for monetization, Halprin indicated. The policy clarifications were implemented on July 16 and affect all members of the YouTube Partner Program.