Some YouTube Creators Fear AI Could Replace Them
As Google trains its AI tools on YouTube’s massive video library, some creators are worried the very platform that built their businesses may be preparing to disrupt them.
Santa Ana-based entrepreneur Charlie Chang spent years posting finance videos on YouTube before finally turning a profit. Today, his media business oversees more than 50 channels, pulling in between $3 million and $4 million a year.
But Chang isn’t celebrating. He’s bracing.
“The fear is there, and I’m still building the channels, but I am preparing, just in case my channels become irrelevant,” he said. “I don’t know if I’m gonna be building YouTube channels forever.”
Chang is one of many creators voicing concerns that YouTube’s parent company, Google, is using their work to train AI models that could one day replace them.
Google’s AI Ambitions
Google has confirmed it is using a subset of YouTube videos to train new artificial intelligence tools, including Veo, its experimental text-to-video generator.
That means videos uploaded by creators—who have helped turn YouTube into the largest streaming entertainment provider in the U.S.—are now part of the raw material feeding AI development.
Creators say they were never explicitly asked for permission, nor are they compensated for this use. Worse, many fear these AI tools will make it possible for others to replicate their style with a few text prompts.
The Creator Economy at Stake
YouTube has long pitched itself as a partner to creators, paying out more than $70 billion between 2021 and 2023 through ad revenue sharing. By some estimates, the platform supports nearly half a million U.S. jobs.
That system has kept creators loyal, fueling YouTube’s rise past Netflix and Disney in American TV viewership. But as AI enters the picture, some worry the foundation is shifting.
Kathleen Grace, a former YouTube executive who now works in digital rights protection, put it bluntly:
“It makes me sad, because I was a big part of this whole creator economy, and now, it’s literally being dismantled by the company that built it.”
A Growing Divide
YouTube says its new AI tools are meant to support creators, making video production faster and cheaper. The company is also rolling out safeguards to detect deepfakes and allow people to request removal of AI-generated impersonations.
“YouTube only succeeds when creators do,” company spokesman Jack Malon said.
Still, some creators already report copycat AI channels and deepfake scams using their likeness—threats that cut into both revenue and trust.
Adapt or Resist?
The community is split on how to respond.
Some creators, like finance YouTuber Nate O’Brien, are experimenting with AI-assisted videos to reduce production costs—even if the results currently underperform human-made content.
Others, like Aaron de Azevedo, have struck direct deals with AI firms, licensing their video libraries for cash.
And still others are weighing legal action, with lawyers suggesting that YouTube’s terms of service may not clearly cover AI training.
Eugene Lee, CEO of ChannelMeter, argues that fighting AI is a losing battle:
“Creators should absolutely embrace it and embrace it early… script generators, thumbnail generators—all these things that will require massive resources otherwise.”
The Bigger Picture
The clash between YouTube and its creators reflects a larger debate: Who owns the future of online content?
For now, creators remain dependent on YouTube’s platform and audience reach. But with Google, Meta, OpenAI, and others locked in a race to dominate AI-driven video, the very people who built the creator economy may find themselves competing against the machines trained on their own work.
Whether they adapt, resist, or exit remains to be seen.
💬 Question for you, readers: Should YouTube creators lean into AI and experiment with it, or resist and protect their original content?
Bibliography
Bertaglia, Thales, Catalina Goanta, and Adriana Iamnitchi. “The Monetisation of Toxicity: Analysing YouTube Content Creators and Controversy-Driven Engagement.” arXiv, 1 Aug. 2024, arxiv.org/abs/2408.00534.
Enberg, Jasmine. Creator Economy Explainer 2025. eMarketer, 11 Aug. 2025, www.emarketer.com/content/creator-economy-explainer-2025.
Hua, Yiqing, et al. “Characterizing Alternative Monetization Strategies on YouTube.” arXiv, 18 Mar. 2022, arxiv.org/abs/2203.10143.
Huang, Zhiqian. “Exploring AI Writers: Technology, Impact, and Future Prospects.” arXiv, 22 Feb. 2025, arxiv.org/abs/2503.05753.
Lee, Wendy. “Google Is Training Its AI Tools on YouTube Videos. These Creators Aren’t Happy.” Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2025, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-08-28/youtube-creators-are-worried-about-ai-too-heres-what-theyre-doing-about-it.
Maple, Carsten, et al. “The AI Revolution: Opportunities and Challenges for the Finance Sector.” arXiv, 31 Aug. 2023, arxiv.org/abs/2308.16538.
“Making Cash off ‘AI Slop’: The Surreal Video Business Taking over the Web.” The Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2025, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/08/17/ai-video-slop-creators.
“Steven Bartlett Warns YouTube over Using Creators’ Videos for AI.” The Times, June–July 2025, www.thetimes.co.uk/article/steven-bartlett-diary-ceo-youtube-creators-ai-jn3lhlr89.
TS2.Tech. “Inside YouTube’s 2025 Empire: Ads, Algorithms, and the Fight for Video Dominance.” TS2.Tech, 16 July 2025, ts2.tech/en/inside-youtubes-2025-empire-ads-algorithms-and-the-fight-for-video-dominance.
“YouTube (Platform).” Wikipedia, last modified Aug. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube.
“YouTube Chief Neal Mohan Bets on AI and ‘Creators’ to Supercharge Growth.” Financial Times, Jan.–Feb. 2025, www.ft.com/content/35c5c3cd-bc68-4a82-91a1-1150def97825.
“YouTube Content Creator Statistics (2025).” Exploding Topics, updated 13 Aug. 2025, explodingtopics.com/blog/youtube-creator-stats.
“YouTube Monetisation Rules Update for AI-Generated and Repeated Content: Google Changes Payout Rules; Check if You Will Be Affected.” The Times of India, 10 July 2025, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/youtube-to-crack-down-on-ai-generated-and-repetitive-content-google-changes-payout-rules-check-if-you-will-be-affected/articleshow/122370719.cms.
“YouTube Morphs into Home for ‘All Things Video’ in Boost for Google Stock.” Investor’s Business Daily, 18 Aug. 2025, www.investors.com/news/technology/youtube-creators-tv-google-stock.
“YouTube’s Social Impact.” Wikipedia, last modified Aug. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_impact_of_YouTube.
“‘It Just Looks Wrong’: YouTube Admits It’s Altering Videos without Consent, Sparking Blowback from Creators.” Windows Central, 25 Aug. 2025, www.windowscentral.com/artificial-intelligence/youtube-admits-video-tampering-not-ai.