Human
SAN BRUNO, CA: YouTube has permanently shut down two of its most prominent channels that used artificial intelligence to produce fake movie trailers, a move that underscores growing tensions over synthetic media on the platform. The channels, Screen Culture and KH Studio, amassed more than 2 million subscribers and over a billion views by posting highly realistic but completely fabricated previews of films and series.
Both channels were removed after repeatedly violating YouTube's spam and misleading metadata policies, the company said in a statement. Attempts to access their pages now return an error message, signaling their termination from the site.
The crackdown follows an earlier phase in 2025 when YouTube first demonetized the channels and removed them from its Partner Program after a Deadline investigation exposed how they used AI to blend official footage with generative imagery to attract clicks and ad revenue.
YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon said the final action was taken after the channels returned to practices that misled viewers. "After their initial suspension, these channels made the necessary corrections in order to be readmitted into the YouTube Partner Program," Malon told The Verge. "However, once monetizing again, they reverted to clear violations of our spam and misleading metadata policies, and as a result, they have been terminated from the platform."
The removals come amid broader industry pressure. Disney recently issued a cease-and-desist to Google over alleged copyright violations tied to AI content, and major studios have at times redirected advertising revenue from fake AI trailers rather than pursuing takedowns.
Critics say the move is a step toward curbing deceptive AI content, but others note that countless other fake and fan-made AI trailers remain on YouTube, raising questions about how effectively the platform can moderate synthetic media at scale.
