In a shocking twist, YouTube wants creators to be actual people again.
In an attempt to prove it still remembers what a “human being” is, YouTube has announced a bold new monetization policy going into effect July 15, 2025. The platform will now only pay creators who use their real voices and produce original content, effectively signaling a death blow to the beloved genre of “AI-narrated listicles no one asked for.”
Creators using reused clips, copy-pasted TikToks, or that one AI voice that sounds like a customer service bot with trauma? Congratulations—you’re now eligible for exposure only.
YouTube says the move is designed to “eliminate mass-produced, repetitious, and inauthentic content.” Translation: They’re sick of videos that feel like they were assembled by a toaster with a Pinterest addiction.
This announcement comes as a surprise to absolutely everyone who thought YouTube had fully embraced the chaos of algorithm-driven, AI-spewed video soup.
Now, they say they want “authenticity.” You know, that thing they buried in the back of the algorithm warehouse between community guidelines and Google+.
Creators will now have to meet these extremely vague criteria:
- Use their actual voice (Sorry, Siri’s cousin).
- Create original video content (RIP to the “10 Creepiest Things Caught on Dashcam” genre).
- Avoid “repetitive or low-effort” content (Unclear if this disqualifies prank channels or finance bros repeating “passive income” like a Gregorian chant).
Some creators are thrilled, seeing it as a long-overdue cleanup of YouTube’s Wild West of automated content farms. Others? Not so much.
“Define ‘low effort,’” one AI-channel operator whispered into a $40 Blue Yeti mic, just before GPT-7 crashed.
Small creators who use AI to assist with scripting, editing, or voice modulation worry that the vague guidelines could punish them for using tools meant to enhance creativity—not replace it.
YouTube has responded with an official shrug and a new FAQ page written by ChatGPT.
So what does this mean for the future of the platform?
Expect a return to awkward, mumbling intros, bad lighting, and genuine effort—you know, the things that made YouTube great in the first place. It’s a bold new frontier, where creators will once again be forced to talk like people, think like humans, and edit like it’s still 2010.
Goodbye, AI-driven top 5 lists.
Hello again, weird rant videos filmed in a car.
And honestly? We missed you.