Kapwing Analyzes 15,000 of the World's Top 100 YouTube Channels
One out of every five videos recommended by the YouTube algorithm to new users is so-called "slop," low-quality content hastily generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
On December 28, The Asia Business Daily, citing the British daily The Guardian, reported that the video editing platform Kapwing had analyzed the top 15,000 YouTube channels in the top 100 by country worldwide. The investigation found that 278 channels exclusively broadcast low-quality videos created by AI.
These channels have a combined subscriber base of 221 million, with cumulative views reaching 6.3 billion. Their estimated annual advertising revenue is as high as 117 million US dollars (approximately 170 billion won).
Controversy arose as artificial intelligence (AI) fake videos, made to look like they were filmed with police body cameras, spread widely. The National Police Agency announced that it would conduct a preliminary investigation into the relevant social media channels to prevent further damage caused by the distribution of AI-generated false videos.
According to Kapwing’s experiment, after creating a new account, more than 20%-specifically 104 out of the first 500 recommended videos-were classified as AI slop. This term refers to mass-produced, low-quality content generated by artificial intelligence. The combination of "AI" and "slop"-originally meaning "mud," "scraps," or "filth"-has become a popular phrase, and the renowned American dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster even selected "slop" as the word of the year for 2025.
The research team explained that one-third of these videos were contextless, sensational "brain-rotting" content. AI slop often features flashy visuals and provocative setups designed to attract clicks from viewers with lower critical judgment, such as children. For example, a channel in Pakistan reimagined the disaster of a major flood as slop content, garnering 1.3 billion views.
Slop has already become an established business model that generates profit with minimal costs. Experts noted that this is why creators from countries with relatively stable internet access but lower average wages-such as India, Kenya, and Nigeria-are also mass-producing slop content.
Some have argued that video platforms like YouTube should adopt a stricter stance against slop. Since AI-generated low-quality content is disrupting the digital ecosystem, there is a need for strong filtering and restrictions on monetization at the platform level.
In response, YouTube stated, "AI is just a tool and can be used to create both high-quality and low-quality content. We are focused on connecting users with high-quality content, regardless of how it is produced."
Meanwhile, Kapwing’s analysis of the top 100 YouTube channels by country revealed that South Korea ranked first in slop video consumption. South Korea was identified as "the country that watches, creates, and spreads slop the most." The number of views on AI slop channels originating from South Korea reached approximately 8.45 billion, far surpassing second-place Pakistan (about 5.3 billion) and third-place United States (about 3.4 billion).
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
