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YouTube Removes Major AI Slop Channels With Combined $9.8M In Estimated Annual Revenue

Published on January 29, 2026

YouTube has removed 16 of the top 100 most-subscribed AI slop channels from its platform, according to Kapwing, a video-editing platform that recently released a study finding that 21-33% of YouTube’s feed consists of AI slop or brainrot videos.

The 16 removed channels had combined estimated annual earnings of $9,785,600, according to Kapwing’s analysis using midpoint values from socialblade.com. These channels accumulated 4,722,138,437 total video views and 35,046,000 subscribers before removal.

Two of the world’s top five most-subscribed AI slop YouTube channels were deleted. Of the 16 removed channels, 11 were completely deleted, while five removed all content but remained active.

The removed channels operated from multiple countries. Four were based in the United States, two in Spain, and two in Indonesia, according to the updated data.

“The deletion of two out of the five biggest AI slop channels could represent a significant turning point in YouTube’s approach to AI content,” said Liam Curtis, Content Strategist at Kapwing. “When we published our research, these channels were generating billions of views and millions in estimated revenue. Their removal suggests YouTube is finally taking action against the flood of low-quality AI content that was threatening to drown out creators.”

The removals follow YouTube CEO Neal Mohan’s annual letter, in which he stated: “It’s becoming harder to detect what’s real and what’s AI-generated.”

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

According to Curtis, “YouTube’s challenge is to maintain this momentum and address the systemic issues that allowed these channels to thrive in the first place.”