Google is investing in an animation studio to produce AI-generated YouTube videos for children, as the company acknowledges that low-quality “AI slop” has become a growing problem on the platform.
AI content has spread rapidly across social media over the past year, and many creators say YouTube Shorts has been flooded with low-effort AI videos.
Neal Mohan said the platform has a responsibility to maintain a high-quality viewing experience and is working to reduce low-quality AI content.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Google has invested $1 million in Animaj, which focuses on producing AI-generated children’s content.
The investment comes from Google’s AI Futures Fund and gives Animaj early access to the company’s AI tools, including Veo, Gemini, and Imagen.
Animaj co-founder Sixte de Vauplane said Google is aware of the growing AI content problem on YouTube and is looking for studios capable of using AI in a higher-quality way.
Animaj’s channels reportedly generated 22 billion views last year, highlighting the scale of the children’s content market on YouTube.
At the same time, YouTube has begun cracking down on AI channels, removing or demonetizing some accounts after investigations into unusual or misleading AI-generated videos aimed at children.
The platform also requires creators to disclose when realistic AI is used, especially if viewers could mistake the content for real people or events.