YouTube Bars Three Types of Content From Earning Ad Revenue

YouTube’s update on July 16 adds detail to a policy announced last year that already restricted revenue from mass-produced and repetitive videos, TechCrunch reported. The changes bar generic or repetitive videos, off-putting or distressing material, and AI personas discussing topics such as health and finance from earning money through the YouTube Partner Program, with all members subject to the new guidelines.

YouTube’s trust and safety chief Matt Halprin explained the changes in a Creator Insider video last week. He said the goal is to reduce content farming while still allowing AI to support higher-quality work. “AI can actually allow people to make a lot of videos,” Halprin said.

” He added that the same tools can produce generic videos lacking narrative arc or creativity, which the platform does not want in the program.

The first category covers repetitive content made with AI, CGI, or templates that show little variation between videos. Halprin noted that tutorial videos reproducing already common material on the platform could also fall under this rule. The second category includes off-putting or distressing content, such as videos showing an animal in distress that is later rescued.

Channels focused on this material will lose monetization regardless of whether the content uses AI.

The third category targets AI personas used to discuss sensitive subjects including finance, legal issues, healthcare, and medical issues. Any channel that produces too much of any of the three types of content will be ineligible for monetization, Halprin said. YouTube generates more ad revenue than rival streamers and has overtaken Netflix in average daily views worldwide.