YouTube to stop Ad Revenue for Low-Quality AI Videos

Beginning July 15, 2025, to combat AI spam, YouTube will introduce a new policy of monetisation, aimed at channels that post mass-made, redundant, or low-value videos. The company has revised its YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) guidelines to mark such videos and prevent them from receiving ad revenue, as stated in a notification released on its official support page.

Why?
The move is part of YouTube’s efforts to maintain content quality and discourage practices that prioritise quantity over originality.

The site is clamping down on its policies so that only authentic, high-quality content gets ad revenue and prevents the surge of spammy, repetitive, and bulk-produced videos made with generative AI tools.

Channels affected by the changes will need to focus on creating unique and engaging content to remain eligible for monetisation.

In a major effort to ensure high-quality content and safeguard advertisers, YouTube said it will cease monetizing low-quality, AI-made videos.

Eligibility for Ad Revenue

 To qualify, a channel must have at least 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 valid public watch hours in the previous 12 months or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days. YouTube has specified the content it will now exclude from monetisation under the new policy.

The platform says content recycled from other material must be heavily transformed to be considered original.
In addition, repeat videos will have to provide value above inducing views, like being comedic or informative.

The Impact

The new guidelines are also likely to impact clickbait-dominant uploads, formulaic formats, and machine-generated content—especially videos with robotic voices or light edits of other creators' work.
YouTube's new monetisation policy does not specify the penalties for creators who break the new rules. The company has not yet explained if suspensions, strikes, or demonetisation will be enforced under the new guidelines.
The updates intend to address new content trends and strategies that are being labelled by YouTube as inauthentic. 

Although the company declined to state whether AI-based videos will be directly impacted, the update indicates stricter monitoring of such content formats.

Digital platforms are increasingly concerned with AI abuse, disinformation, and content authenticity. By doing this, YouTube aims to strike a balance between innovation and integrity and continue to reward creators who deliver authentic value to their viewers.

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