YouTube lists three categories of content that could disqualify a channel from the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). These categories are detailed on YouTube’s channel monetization policy page and explained by Matt Halprin, YouTube’s vice president of trust and safety, in a Creator Insider video.
The three categories
1. Generic/Repeated
If content looks templated or changes little from one upload to the next, YouTube categorizes it as generic or repetitive. The guidelines page cites examples such as characters repeating the same situation and outcome, image slideshows with little narrative, and AI-generated videos created from generic templates.
It’s okay to use the same intro and outro as long as the body of each video is different.
2. Disgusting content
The “Disgusting Content” category includes videos based on emotionally manipulative formulas or shock. Examples include depictions of animals in exaggerated distress and realistic images that simulate a celebrity’s death or catastrophe.
Halprin said channels with too much of it can lose YPP access, regardless of whether the videos use AI or not.
3. AI personas in sensitive topics
The AI Personas category includes channels that use AI-generated people to provide information on sensitive topics such as health, legal, finance, or politics. AI personas are permitted in other contexts.
Why this is important
The old term “inauthentic content” gave creators little idea of what was actually threatening their channel’s revenue. The three categories mentioned provide a clearer definition of what can and cannot be earned. So a channel that is removed from the partner program or rejected, if applicable, has a better overview of the problem.
Halprin said the update does not change what the company already enforces, noting that “there is no change at all to our underlying policy.”
Looking ahead
Videos that fit into the categories listed above cannot earn money, but can still remain on YouTube if they meet the community guidelines.
To keep your videos monetized, build in real variation instead of relying on templates, stay away from shock-driven formats, and don’t present an AI personality as an expert on sensitive topics. Using AI to help create videos is still fine.
Featured Image: Samuel Boivin/Shutterstock
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