Molly McDonald, founder of Blue Door Productions and experienced YouTube content expert, who has worked with Red Bull, KSI and the BBC, praised YouTube’s latest efforts to cut down on low-quality AI content produced in quality, saying the move is a crucial step in protecting human creativity and true stories.
The platform is developing new monetization rules that limit revenue opportunities for creators who rely solely on AI to generate content. The update will take effect this month, marking a shift in support of “meaningful human inputs” such as creative editing, comments and original scripts.
“YouTube’s new policy helps prevent the risk of AI use because it ensures human responsibility and oversight,” McDonald’s said.
“Reducing AI-generated content supports those who really power the platform – real people who make original work.”
While the video sharing giant doesn’t completely ban AI, it draws a solid line: content must have substantial human participation in order to qualify for advertising revenue.
McDonald’s’s production agents have worked on high-profile brands and influential content, and he agrees with the difference.
“AI is a great tool for the industry – it can help scripts, support editing workflows, and even generate supplementary content,” she said.
“But it’s important that we don’t rely on it. Large-scale automation will inevitably lead to low-quality output damage to the structure of the creative economy.”
She warned that flooding “AI Slop” (low labor, automatically generated content) will erode trust, reduce engagement and ultimately harm audiences and professional creators.
Policy changes are part of YouTube’s broader push toward its position as a real-sounding platform, especially as generated AI tools become more accessible and widely adopted.
“The most important thing is that human experience cannot be replicated,” McDonald’s said.
“What connects with the audience is emotional depth, nuance, authenticity – all of which can only be created by real people. That’s what builds trust and cultural value.”
She added that YouTube’s commitment to protecting this authenticity is not only a current guarantee, but an investment in the future.
“By protecting the authenticity of its content, YouTube is actually achieving its own success in the future.”
This move is growing because people’s major platforms for AI-generated content are flooding, destroying quality and user trust. YouTube’s Monetization guide follows similar trends seen on platforms like Tiktok and Instagram, brands and advertisers are increasingly seeking real human-made content.
While the debate continues to revolve around the position of drawing a line between AI-assisted and AI-dependent content, creators like McDonald say the focus must be on improving creativity and storytelling, rather than pursuing automation at scale.
