YouTube Takes Action Against Fake AI-Generated Movie Trailers

YouTube is cracking down on channels creating fake AI-generated movie trailers, a genre of content that has become extremely popular on the platform.

In recent years, YouTube has become a breeding ground for AI-generated fake movie trailers, flooding the platform with misleading yet engrossing content.

These trailers, which usually mix real movie clips with AI-generated visuals, can often appear real to viewers. As a result, many of these fake movie trailers go viral with these YouTube channels amassing billions of views. One of the most well-known examples was an AI trailer for the upcoming Superman reboot, which was so convincing, it fooled French national television.

It was later revealed that instead of clamping down on these copyright-infringing videos, major Hollywood studios have opted for a different approach: monetizing them. These Hollywood studios struck a deal with YouTube to redirect ad revenue from these misleading trailers, treating the situation more like a business opportunity than a violation of intellectual property.

However, according to a report published by Deadline, YouTube has begun a crackdown on such creators, removing them from its Partner Program and stripping them of the opportunity to make ad revenue.

The platform has taken action against channels like Screen Trailers and Royal Trailer, which post AI-generated trailers of big-name films, and suspended ad revenue on them. These channels are managed by the creators of Screen Culture and KH Studio, which were also reportedly removed from the Partner Program in March.

Screen Culture has 1.4 million subscribers, while its alternative account Screen Trailers has 33,000 followers. KH Studio has 724,000 subscribers, while Royal Trailer has 53,000 followers.

“Our enforcement decisions, including suspensions from the YouTube partner program, apply to all channels that may be owned or operated by the impacted creator,” YouTube tells Deadline in a statement.

These fake movie trailers often copy the visual style of real movie previews, making it hard for viewers to tell the difference. YouTube has strict rules around monetization and misleading content. The platform prohibits content that has been technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads viewers.

“If you borrow content from someone else, you need to change it significantly to make it your own,” YouTube says in its guidelines. It also says, “your content should be made for the enjoyment or education of viewers.”

YouTube’s monetization rules also say that reused content must not be “duplicative or repetitive” and should not be created just “for the sole purpose of getting views.”