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YouTube's Biggest Star MrBeast Fears AI Could Impact 'Millions of Creators' After Sora Launch (fortune.com) 68

Posted by msmash from the bleak-outlook dept.
An anonymous reader shares a report: YouTube megastar Jimmy Donaldson, the creator behind the platform's biggest channel MrBeast, is worried there are "scary times" ahead for the creator economy as AI video tools make it increasingly difficult to tell what is real.

"When AI videos are just as good as normal videos, I wonder what that will do to YouTube and how it will impact the millions of creators currently making content for a living.. scary times," Donaldson said on X on Sunday. Donaldson's concerns come on the heels of OpenAI's release of a Sora social media platform able to AI generated short-form videos, including of individuals who "upload" themselves onto the app. Meta launched its similar video-generating Vibes platform last month.
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YouTube's Biggest Star MrBeast Fears AI Could Impact 'Millions of Creators' After Sora Launch More

YouTube's Biggest Star MrBeast Fears AI Could Impact 'Millions of Creators' After Sora Launch

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  • His episodes seem like they are AI generated (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ebunga ( 95613 ) on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @03:31PM (#65710180)

    Would you drink warm vomit for $100,000 to donate $1,000,000 to a bunch of blind kids so they can see again?

    • Re:His episodes seem like they are AI generated (Score:4, Informative)

      by JaredOfEuropa ( 526365 ) on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @04:09PM (#65710338) Journal
      If Mr Beast is peak YouTube, then bring on the AI already.
      I should say that I watch plenty of content on YT, but most of it is small and mid-sized channels. The small ones do it as a hobby, the larger ones as a business, and I'd hate to see them disappear or lose their income. But it seems that this was already happening before the rise of AI slop, revenues getting squeezed or the algorithm playing them false.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        AI slop on YouTube is several years old at this point. It started before the AI boom with algorithm created videos. They were usually some poorly animated CG Disney characters in bizarre nonsense scenarios, randomly edited together, targeting small children for whom narrative was unimportant.

        After that came videos that were an AI voiceover and a script ripped from a web page or book, with an auto generated montage of images from a web search.

    • That's not nearly close enough. You forgot: all while being tied down to a bed full of fire ants for 30 days?

      (There has to be the restrictive movement part. Jimmy and his viewers are obviously into BDSM.)

    • Would you drink warm vomit for $100,000 to donate $1,000,000 to a bunch of blind kids so they can see again?

      Would you watch a kid count from 1 to 100,000 verbally for over twenty-three boring-ass hours?

      Since that's one of the reasons Jimmy is a multi-millionaire today, I'd say it's par for the course.

    • Would you drink warm vomit for $100,000 to donate $1,000,000 to a bunch of blind kids so they can see again?

      That sounds less like AI and more like a sponsorship deal with Bud Light.

  • the slop overwhelms anything worth watching. And that point is fast approaching.

    • Just because it is AI doesn't mean that it is slop. Currently almost all of it is, but if the content is good, what does it matter if the voice or person on screen is not real? Judge content for the content, not for how it is created. Same for recorded music vs live music. I hate live music, especially when it is a band I am intimately familiar with and love to the degree that I know every little riff and sound from the drum kit, even breathing and intonation from the singer matter and when it differs from

      • Just because it is AI doesn't mean that it is slop. Currently almost all of it is, but if the content is good, what does it matter if the voice or person on screen is not real? Judge content for the content, not for how it is created. Same for recorded music vs live music. I hate live music, especially when it is a band I am intimately familiar with and love to the degree that I know every little riff and sound from the drum kit, even breathing and intonation from the singer matter and when it differs from what I know, it FEELS like a cheap cover band playing my fave songs, or maybe even AI doing it. It is about the content and the finished product. Yes, in the current state AI is horrible, but it doesn't have to be and it isnt the fault of AI itself. It is the people controlling it that put out the slop.

        You must not have ever seen a truly great live band if you hate live music. Some manage to get nearly every subtlety right. Granted, in some cases the live performance is completely different, but so much more high energy than the studio that it's like meeting an old friend after they've dumped the boat anchor from their life and started dating an extra-supportive SO, got rid of the old Ford Pinto and started driving a new Lamborghini, and dropped two hundred pounds and now look like a super model. I can't

        • For most bands the exact same sound from recorded is impossible because there are usually fewer musicians involved in the live act. Less or no backup singers. Recorded music frequently has overdubs of the lead singer basically singing their own backup. Patently impossible for live music. I don't go to see them play, I listen to the music. I couldn't care less about the visual aspect of a band.

          • For most bands the exact same sound from recorded is impossible because there are usually fewer musicians involved in the live act. Less or no backup singers. Recorded music frequently has overdubs of the lead singer basically singing their own backup. Patently impossible for live music. I don't go to see them play, I listen to the music. I couldn't care less about the visual aspect of a band.

            We're extremely different people, I'll just say that. The energy of a live performance almost always trumps studio quality for me. I love studio quality, don't get me wrong, but I love live music more unless the band can't really play what they recorded. They're just different worlds, and to me live is almost always superior.

        • The problem with lice music is all the people around who are clapping, hooting and hollering, and generally making a nuisance of themselves.

          I might enjoy it if I were the only one in the audience.

      • Can produce anything but slop. It's basically an incredibly fancy search engine. If you want a very specific piece of information it can be very good at finding it for you without you having the piece it together from multiple internet sources. With the obvious caveat that it doesn't care whether or not those sources are accurate or not.

        But when it comes to putting together new things it's never going to be able to do anything terribly interesting because it's just cobbling together what it's already be

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Pascoea ( 968200 )

        Currently almost all of it is, but if the content is good, what does it matter if the voice or person on screen is not real?

        Because I absolutely cannot stand AI narration. The robotic intonation and improper pronunciation of things grates on me. Then you get to the content. Holy shit. Nothing like taking a topic that could be explained in 5 minutes, but the AI makes the video 15 minutes by repeating things or saying it in slightly different verbiage a dozen times. I mean, whatever, watch what you wanna watch. I, personally, want to stab myself in the ear whenever some AI garbage infiltrates my Youtube stream.

    • The slop had already overwhelmed anything worth watching and what generated that slop are people like Mr Beast and other influencers. It will be a relief if we get rid the internet of the disease that is influencer content.

  • Make quality content (Score:4, Insightful)

    by gweihir ( 88907 ) on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @03:40PM (#65710206)

    Then it does not matter. If it is just boobs, insane stunts, and hysterics, "AI" will probably do better anyways. Obviously, making quality content will not make you rich. But living reasonably off it is definitely possible.

  • If your content is overshadowed by AI... (Score:3)

    by mr.dreadful ( 758768 ) on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @03:40PM (#65710208)
    I probably didn't want to see it in the first place. Too many people are desperate for attention.

  • Oh, oh no, I'd feel horrible if the advertisement-sphere of influencers slowed down. There are so few "content creators" doing anything other than shilling for brands now that it's hard to take any plea for their continued existence in the face of anything, even AI slop advertising, as anything other than the sound of one hand clapping. Those few creating legitimate content worth watching will continue, because they offer something unique. Those who just regurgitate ads or political topic du jour in their o

    • I can see the value in practical "howto" videos, but I have known people in my life who are obsessed with watching crap. Their brains turned to mush in front of my eyes because of algorithms. I never understood the "influencer" economy, they seem like a waste of meat to me, and how they get money for it? I can't understand.

      • The worst part is how they convince kids that Youtube influencer is somehow a valid career path. I've seen kids throw fits at their parents for not buying them every new trending item in whatever product category because it's ruining their chance to build their youtube channel's brand. It makes me feel like we turned some weird corner on priorities.

        • Then... they are told that their income should be as investors. They should make income from passive investments. I saw a slashdot article about that. We may perhaps are raising a generation of kids where a large percentage think that they should just be advertisers, and passive investors. They skip the part where they need to learn skills, work, earn money, and invest. I hope it isn't a large percentage and that I am exaggerating. I also hope that we as a society can give our kids the opportunity

          • Then... they are told that their income should be as investors. They should make income from passive investments. I saw a slashdot article about that. We may perhaps are raising a generation of kids where a large percentage think that they should just be advertisers, and passive investors. They skip the part where they need to learn skills, work, earn money, and invest. I hope it isn't a large percentage and that I am exaggerating. I also hope that we as a society can give our kids the opportunity to learn skills, work, earn money, and invest.

            I feel bad for most kids now. They're growing up in a world that's telling them their cars are going to drive themselves, and AI is going to take all the jobs, and the biosphere is going to be unlivable by the time they're adults. It must be an incredibly unhopeful time to grow up.

            • Re:Wipe out youtube creators? (Score:4, Insightful)

              by ndsurvivor ( 891239 ) on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @05:59PM (#65710704) Journal
              I have pondered that thought, and then remembered that My dad said the same, and my grand dad said the same. etc. It seems like a human trait to think that the world is going to hell when you are getting older. Maybe it is a kind way from nature to say to a person (me) that it is OK to die, and to leave whatever world there is left to the next generation.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by kertaamo ( 16100 )

                No. You, your dad and your grand dad are/were absolutely correct. Things have been getting worse all the time. It cannot be avoided. Something to do with entropy, the ever increasing and unstoppable state of disorder of things.

              • Even still, some times are better or worse than other times. Dismissing changes is like burying your head in the sand: Sure, you don't see the scary stuff, but you also get eaten with your head in the sand rather than running or fighting.

            • A donkey cart was quite autonomous.

  • And nothing of value was lost ever after. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Pseudonymous Powers ( 4097097 ) on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @03:56PM (#65710278)
    Thanks, Jimmy D. I was bummed out about AI stealing everyone's livelihood. But realizing that it is likely to steal your livelihood first really cheered me up.

  • Gen Look@Me (Score:5, Funny)

    by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @04:01PM (#65710304)

    How dare AI come along and threaten Generation Narcissist.

    Whatever will we do without professional attention whores being rewarded for attention whoring? Actually get back on track with human progress? Normal behavior in public again? Shame coming back into fashion? IRL coming back to life?

    Oh, the humanity..

    • You're too optimistic. Remember, AI is all about mimicking humans. Ergo:

      The professional attention whores will be replaced with AI generated attention whores, and attention whoring will be dialled up to 11. Eventually, your toaster will refuse to toast your bread unless you click like 3 times and watch it dance on your kitchen table while it's extolling the virtues of Phillips steam powered ironing boards.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by allo ( 1728082 )

        The influencer paid to show sponsor ads, so the ad company does not even need to employ own video creators, may be replaced by a generated person doing the same ads and the same clickbait content without a human. Sponsoring YouTubers is currently just a dirt cheap way to get people to know your companies name without even creating own ads. The influencer is cheaper than other ads. It's basically exploitation, the creators just do not notice how they are used.

  • Oh man, Mr Beast might not be able to make another Billion with silly videos? My heart really goes out.

  • All I hear from Mr. Beast's complaint is that big content creators fear the democratization of content creation, which means content creation won't be pay-to-win as much any more.

  • He essentially admits it

    "When AI videos are just as good as normal videos

    No, they are just matching the quality of your shitty content. Not a high bar.

    • His own content isn't exactly original either - he's not above copying successful memes just putting his own twist on them.

  • I must be really out of touch. I have never heard of this guy, or his channel name, until now. And I'm on YouTube and TikTok daily...

  • Its amazing (Score:3)

    by Revek ( 133289 ) on Tuesday October 07, 2025 @05:35PM (#65710638)
    How this guys is the biggest youtube dude and I never see any of his stuff in my feed? I didn't even know he existed until all the back and forth about he was a fraud. I'm pretty sure I haven't missed much just from the few videos that I have seen linked. Having said that when AI starts putting up out videos. If I have no way of knowing if something is AI made I will probably stop watching them. I want my entertainment to be human made.

  • The seasonal section of my local Target is already loaded with tons of his disgusting chocolate bars. I also seem to remember something involving some equally disgusting hamburgers.

    I'm guessing his other ventures haven't been as profitable as posting clickbait on YouTube?

  • Wht don't Mr Beast send me the goodies straightaway?
    That will save him some time making those useless videos for useless idiots who think they stand a chance winning something for free.

  • Those creators could create something of greater value IN THE REAL WORLD.
  • Occasionally I'll get a clearly AI video pop up in the feed and it's so horrendously bad I'm out of there in a couple of seconds and back to one of my subscribed channels that make genuinely interesting, thoughtful and engaging content. If this dude thinks he's at a risk of losing followers to AI because it can make content equal to his own quality that says more about him and his videos than he probably realises.
  • It is just next downslope of Youtube as video platform. I get offered to watch what they promote, not what I have subscribed to. Not even considering that it never offers those millions of creators. I see no significant decrease ahead, just continuation of it's downward trend. Enshitification is not starting, just continuing. At some point it will be when most people just ditch it. Like with cable and Facebook. No value left for me in it soon.

  • Find a picture of Mr Beast, cover his smile and look at his eyes. There is a demonic soul in there.

    His schtick seems to be people will do anything for money. There's only one direction that is going.

    Expect to see him presenting the Running Man in 2028.

     

  • That generative AI is voiding 90%+ of jobs in media production should be obvious by now. What's interesting is that these jobs, just like software development, are only a (very) small portion of the workforce. I am just some wide and far between senior webdev getting ready to move into marketing or customer service and taking a ~15k hit on my income. No huge impact to society.

    Just wait until the robots start driving our vehicles and replacing drivers. That's when the real fun starts.

  • Every Sora Video has a creator behind it. They just use other means to create the content. I bet we will see more creative uses than just uploading a Sora video just as it comes out of the generator.

  • If the content you create is no more entertaining/engaging than what AI produce, that's in you not the Tech Bros. As has been the case with all technological advancements in the work place, it is only the mediocre or lesser practitioners that are threatened

  • I've seen the AI videos from the very beginning to the newest nonsense, and they are still terrible compared to anything a human with a halfway decent understanding of cinematography, writing, or story-telling can produce. The rate of improvement seems scary I suppose, but there's a ceiling for now, just like with the other uses of AI.

    The only YouTube creators in danger from AI are the untalented hacks that were creating "slop" long before GPT was a thing.

    Of course there's clearly a market for that kind of

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