More than 20% of the videos that YouTube’s algorithm shows to new users are “AI slop” – low-quality AI-generated content designed to farm views, research has found. The researchers also made a new YouTube account and found that 104 of the first 500 videos recommended to its feed were AI slop. One-third of the 500 videos were “brainrot”, a category that includes AI slop and other low-quality content made to monetise attention. AI channels have 18 million followers in Egypt, 14.5 million in the US, and 13.5 million in Brazil. For another, the AI slop ecosystem is full of scammers: people selling tips and courses on how to make viral content – who often make more money than the AI slop producers themselves.

Source: The Guardian December 27, 2025 21:30 UTC