# YouTube is now flooded with AI fakery **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 7, 2025, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581 "2025-07-07T02:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/21 "2025-07-07T15:03:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I get it in my Facebook reels now for some reason. All those obviously fake reels, particularly the ones which originate on Instagram and cannot be blocked on Facebook, prompted me to install Facebook Purity. No more reels of any kind. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/22 "2025-07-07T15:18:58Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > YouTube is updating our guidelines to better identify mass-produced and repetitious content. This update better reflects what “inauthentic” content looks like today. The devil is in the details…and they could just make it _harder_ to put a stop to this bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/23 "2025-07-07T15:34:47Z")
Huh. I have Facebook Purity. Wonder if there’s a setting I missed. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/24 "2025-07-07T15:58:27Z")
I think it’s probably a face-saving thing. Having a policy means you can assert that you really do care, even if all the other signs point to not caring at all. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/25 "2025-07-07T16:23:36Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Mass-produced content appears to get a lot of views, which means a lot of ads are served, which means YouTube makes a lot of money off it, despite it being contemptible garbage. Is YouTube really going to take a cut in revenue by doing the right thing? You can only degrade quality so much before you start to lose eyeballs to other platforms. There’s a profit motive to have unending, **sufficiently interesting** content. There’s also a profit motive to have **unique and compelling** content. Balancing those is how you stay in business. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/26 "2025-07-07T16:28:44Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > You can only degrade quality so much before you start to lose eyeballs to other platforms. Apparently, according to frequency of use, that threshold is a _hell_ of a lot lower than expected, and will not be approached any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/27 "2025-07-07T16:34:53Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, for me it’s not so much on YouTube. . . . .(break) > > > [@pulykamell](#): > > > > But, for some reason, I get bombarded on Facebook Reels Same here. I subscribe to a couple of Alaska FB sites, and they get a lot of AI photos claiming to be pictures of place in Alaska. Now, I’m really well-acquainted with the topography, geography, flora and fauna of Alaska and can spot a fake picture pretty easily. But my question is . . .why do they bother? Do they benefit or profit in any way from people clicking on their posts? I know that some of these people are part of a “pig butchering” scam, trying to get you ‘friend’ them. But aren’t most people aware of these assholes? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/28 "2025-07-07T16:35:02Z")
Personally, I’m not seeing AI recommendations. I suspect that there’s a personal inclination element that increases or decreases how much empty content is pushed at you. The lower threshold you see of empty content may be the lower threshold that the algorithm has found for _you_, not for society. ETA: Though, that will change if you’re using cookie blockers and aren’t signed in. Then, you’ll get the default level for the average person. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/29 "2025-07-07T16:43:19Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > YouTube needs to stop recommending such crap till they have some good history behind them. This assumes that YouTube is interested in providing true, accurate and quality content. It is not. Research shows that YouTube’s recommendation algorithm’s primary goal is to lead users towards more extremist and conspiratorial content. This happens because the algorithm prioritizes engagement, and content that promotes conspiracy theories and misinformation often drives high watch times and clicks, thus getting recommended more frequently - even if they are not accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/30 "2025-07-07T17:18:30Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Huh. I have Facebook Purity. Wonder if there’s a setting I missed. Could be that or it temporarily stopped working. Mine does on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/31 "2025-07-07T18:20:06Z")
Does Facebook Purity block that which is clearly labeled “AI”, or does it also block that which they suspect is “AI”. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/32 "2025-07-07T18:40:23Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > > [@Jophiel](#): > > > > Thankfully, I haven’t seen this (or perhaps just hit Not Interested without processing what it was). > > It is almost guaranteed that it is the latter and not the former. I’m pretty sure i haven’t seen any ai-generated YouTube videos. Also, i don’t have it set to automatically start the next thing. 90% of what i watch, maybe more, comes from a couple dozen favorite channels, too. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/33 "2025-07-07T18:44:22Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Personally, I’m not seeing AI recommendations. Nor am I, but I mostly get suggestions based upon my subscriptions. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/34 "2025-07-07T18:51:29Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > There is a [policy update](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10008196?hl=en) happening on YouTube in a week or so: Interesting. I’ve noticed in the past few months a big increase in the amount of content the channels I follow produce - none AI. Did YouTube pressure creators to put out more stuff. People went from one a week to three times a week, or twice a week to every day. The only AI content I’ve seen is a movie clips video where not just the voice but the script was clearly AI generated, as were the interstitial images. I mostly watch stuff too long and too talky to get the AI treatment. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/35 "2025-07-07T18:51:58Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Research shows that YouTube’s recommendation algorithm’s primary goal is to lead users towards more extremist and conspiratorial content. More extreme, yes. But i don’t get conspiratorial stuff, because i don’t watch anything political. But… After watching some “forged in fire” i got a lot of blacksmiths recommended to me. And after watching “binging with babish” i got a lot of cooking shows. And after searching for some Minecraft content i got a lot of Minecraft content. At this point, most of the random videos YouTube recommends to me are Minecraft and cooking videos. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/36 "2025-07-07T18:53:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Does Facebook Purity block that which is clearly labeled “AI”, or does it also block that which they suspect is “AI”. It’s not that sophisticated. You tell it what content you want blocked (e.g.: People You May Know, reels, etc.) or specific key words (e.g., in my case: recipe, cabin, etc.) and it will block everything related to those. “Cabin” because virtually everything to do with a cabin is AI. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/37 "2025-07-07T18:53:52Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Research shows that YouTube’s recommendation algorithm’s primary goal is to lead users towards more extremist and conspiratorial content. Cabin? What would a video about cabins even be? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/38 "2025-07-07T18:55:10Z")
I assume the above was intended as a reply to me. Those are virtually all AI-generated still images. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/39 "2025-07-07T18:56:11Z")
Yes, sorry. That’s weird that it replied to the wrong person. Maybe because I’m on an airplane with an iffy connection. But… You see still images of cabins on YouTube? Generated by AI? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581/40 "2025-07-07T19:05:52Z")
I’ve not seen any specific encouragement or incentive to increase content output - there are some new ‘brainstorm ideas’ tools that I suppose might have unlocked a bit more productivity for folks who struggle with ideas for content. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-is-now-flooded-with-ai-fakery/1020581.md?page=3)