After an investigation exposed their AI-driven fake movie trailers, YouTube has halted ad revenue for two major channels, Screen Culture and KH Studio. A report from Deadline revealed that Screen Culture imitated official marketing for franchises like The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman, blending AI-generated imagery to captivate fans. KH Studio took a different approach, fabricating hypothetical versions of major films, such as a James Bond movie featuring Henry Cavill and Margot Robbie or a Squid Game sequel starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Surprisingly, some Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony, were found to be redirecting ad revenue from these videos rather than removing them. The studios declined to comment.
YouTube has suspended both channels from its partner programme, citing violations of monetisation policies. The platform requires creators to significantly alter borrowed material to claim originality and prohibits misleading content. While the channels can appeal, YouTube has clarified that duplicative or deceptive videos will not be monetised.
The founder of KH Studio insists their content is meant for entertainment rather than deception. “I’ve been running KH Studio full-time for over three years. Seeing it labelled ‘misleading’ is frustrating since my goal has always been to explore creative possibilities,” they said.
The founder of Screen Culture, Nikhil P. Chaudhari, who leads a team of a dozen editors, has grown his channel to 1.4 billion views and 1.4 million subscribers in two years. He argues that most viewers understand his trailers are not official. “For those who get fooled—what’s the harm?” he asks.
Deadline questioned YouTube on how its algorithm ranks fake trailers above official ones but received no comment.
This crackdown highlights platforms’ growing challenge in balancing AI-generated content with responsible moderation. The debate over creativity versus misinformation will only intensify as artificial intelligence advances.
