More than one in five videos shown to new YouTube users are now considered “AI slop,” according to a new report and some of those low-effort channels are raking in millions of dollars.
As creators continue to raise concerns about AI spam, mass bans, and declining discoverability, fresh data suggests the problem is only accelerating.
The findings come from video editing platform Kapwing, which simulated a fresh YouTube account to analyze what new users are actually being shown.
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Out of the first 500 videos recommended on YouTube Shorts, 104 were identified as AI-generated, making up 21% of all content surfaced. An additional 33% were classified as “brainrot”, a term used to describe low-effort, repetitive content optimized purely for engagement.
In total, over half of all recommended content fell into low-quality or algorithm-chasing categories.
AI slop dominates global trending charts
Kapwing also analyzed the top 100 trending YouTube channels in every country, identifying which ones were built primarily around AI-generated content.
Based on total view counts, South Korea leads the world in AI slop consumption, with its 11 trending AI channels pulling in a combined 8.45 billion views.
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Pakistan ranks second with 5.34 billion, while the United States sits in third with 3.39 billion views.
Kapwing
When it comes to subscribers, however, Spain takes the lead.
Despite having just eight AI slop channels in its top 100, Spain’s creators collectively hold 20.22 million subscribers, more than any other country analyzed.
For comparison, the United States has 14.47 million subscribers to channels classified as AI slop.
Spain’s numbers are heavily boosted by Imperio de Jesus, a channel with 5.87 million subscribers, making it the second-largest AI slop channel in the world.
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The channel features AI-generated shorts where Jesus faces off against characters like Satan or the Grinch in quiz-style scenarios, framed as moral or comedic challenges.
Two other Spanish channels with over 3.5 million subscribers also focus on fast-paced comedy and brainrot-style shorts.
The biggest AI channels in the world
The single largest AI slop channel belongs to the United States.
Cuentos Facinantes (sic) boasts 5.95 million subscribers, narrowly edging out Imperio de Jesus. The channel’s Dragon Ball Z–inspired AI content has generated billions of views, outperforming many traditional creators.
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Kapwing
Meanwhile, India’s Bandar Apna Dost holds the record for total views, with 2.07 billion across its AI-generated uploads. It’s also the most profitable, earning an estimated $4.25 million per year.
In another example of how lucrative the space has become, a 21-year-old computer science student from the Philippines revealed in August that he made $9,000 in a single month producing AI-generated cartoon kitten videos.
Kapwing
YouTube pushes forward despite AI backlash
Despite growing criticism from creators who say AI slop is flooding the platform and hurting legitimate channels, YouTube leadership shows no signs of slowing down.
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CEO Neal Mohan has repeatedly defended the push toward AI, saying it will unlock creativity for users who previously lacked the tools or technical skills to create content.
According to Mohan, AI will help “revive the early days of YouTube” by empowering a new wave of creators while also improving moderation and content discovery.
