YouTube chief says ‘managing AI slop’ is a priority for 2026

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said reducing “AI slop” and detecting deepfakes are priorities for the Google-owned video site in 2026.

“It’s becoming harder to detect what’s real and what’s AI-generated,” Mohan wrote in his annual letter published Wednesday. “This is particularly critical when it comes to deepfakes.” 

With artificial intelligence penetrating every aspect of technology, Google has been investing heavily in building out the infrastructure to support new and growing workloads while also bolstering its Gemini models and adding AI features to its portfolio of business and consumer products.

But as one of the leading sources of user-generated content on the internet, YouTube is dealing with an explosion in the number of videos created by AI. The term AI slop refers to the mass of low-quality AI content that’s showing up across social media platforms. In addition to YouTube, companies such as Meta and TikTok rely on recommendation systems powered by AI that surface personalized videos designed to keep users engaged for longer periods of time.

Mohan said the world is at an “inflection point,” where “the lines between creativity and technology are blurring.”

“To reduce the spread of low quality AI content, we’re actively building on our established systems that have been very successful in combatting spam and clickbait, and reducing the spread of low quality, repetitive content,” Mohan wrote.

He said that YouTube clearly labels videos created by AI products and requires creators to disclose if they’ve produced altered content. The company’s systems also remove “harmful synthetic media” that violates its guidelines, Mohan wrote.

Critical to YouTube’s growth among users, creators and advertisers is keeping the platform desirable for all parties involved.

In December, YouTube said it would be expanding its “likeness detection,” which flags when a creator’s face is used without their permission in deepfakes. The feature is being rolled out to millions of creators in the YouTube Partner Program.

Mohan’s letter said the company will use AI as a tool and “not a replacement,” adding that on average more than 1 million YouTube channels used its artificial intelligence creation technology daily in December.

The company is expanding the way creators can take advantage of AI, he said, including on YouTube’s short-form video offering called Shorts, which competes with TikTok and Instagram Reels.

“This year you’ll be able to create a Short using your own likeness, produce games with a simple text prompt, and experiment with music,” he wrote.

Mohan described creators as “the new stars and studios,” and said YouTube creators are “buying studio-sized lots in Hollywood and beyond to pioneer new formats and produce beautifully produced, must-see TV.” The company also wants to provide new ways for creators to earn, from “shopping and brand deals to fan funding features like Jewels and gifts.”

Another priority, Mohan said, is making YouTube “the best place for kids and teens” and said this year the company plans to make it easier for parents to set up new kid accounts and to easily switch between them.

YouTube said in September that it’s paid out more than $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies since 2021. Earlier in the year, analysts at MoffettNathanson estimated that If it was a stand-alone business, YouTube would be worth between $475 billion and $550 billion.

WATCH: How Neal Mohan leads YouTube by putting creators first