YouTube Makes “Managing AI Slop” a Top Priority for 2026
- Martina
- 28 January 2026, Wednesday
One of YouTube’s main goals for 2026 is to manage AI slop. At least, that’s what YouTube CEO Neal Mohan highlighted in his annual letter. Learn more about this and other key concerns for the platform in 2026 – such as increased AI transparency, changes in creator monetization, and new tools for content creators – in the article.
Managing AI Slop and Ensuring AI Transparency on Top of the List for YouTube
An annual letter to the community has been a tradition in YouTube’s communication for several years, allowing the CEO to outline the company’s goals and priorities for the year ahead. In 2026, one of these priorities is to crack down on what the CEO calls AI slop – a large amount of low-quality content flooding the internet, particularly on YouTube and social media platforms like Facebook.
While Mohan emphasized that YouTube is, has been, and will continue to be an open platform that allows for a “broad range of free expression while ensuring YouTube remains a place where people feel good spending their time,” he also acknowledged that this openness carries “a responsibility to maintain the high-quality viewing experience that people want.”
“To reduce the spread of low-quality AI content, we’re actively building on our established systems that have been very successful in combating spam and clickbait, and reducing the spread of low-quality, repetitive content,” he stated.
Among these previously established systems are AI likeness and deepfakes protection measures introduced in July 2024, along with updated monetization policies from July 2025. Specifically, the latter aims to better identify and address inauthentic, “repetitious” content, and thus promote original, high-quality material. As a result, content covered by the updated “inauthentic content” policy is no longer eligible for monetization under the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
In his letter, Mohan also tackles the broader questions of AI transparency and protection. He noted that YouTube continues to clearly label content created by its AI systems, with creators required to disclose when they’ve produced “realistic altered or synthetic content.” Additionally, any harmful synthetic media that breaks YouTube’s Community Guidelines is taken down.
“We’re also building on the foundation of Content ID – a system our partners have trusted for well over a decade – to equip creators with new tools to manage the use of their likeness in AI-generated content,” Mohan said. “We remain committed to protecting creative integrity by supporting critical legislation like the NO FAKES Act,” he added.
However, YouTube is not only planning AI-related changes and updates with improved protection measures but is also introducing new AI features to help creators find innovative ways to express themselves and produce original content.
“This year you'll be able to create a Short using your own likeness, produce games with a simple text prompt, and experiment with music. Throughout this evolution, AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement.”
YouTube’s Other Priorities for 2026
As one might expect, AI is not the only topic covered in the annual letter, nor is it the only subject YouTube prioritizes this year. In Mohan's words, the platform will focus on reinventing entertainment, centering on creators and their work, whether audio or audiovisual.
“YouTube is the new TV because creators are the new prime time. Ms. Rachel’s two Children's & Family Emmy nominations prove that creators are defining this next era of entertainment,” he stressed. (for those unfamiliar: Ms. Rachel is an American educator who has created an eponymous YouTube series focused on language development for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers)
That is also linked to YouTube’s goal of helping creators find new ways to earn money, especially by transforming the platform into a top shopping destination. “For every idea a creator dreams up, we provide the business model to match,” Mohan explained.
Moreover, YouTube plans to add more variety to Shorts by incorporating different formats directly into the feed, such as image posts, and launching fully customizable multiview and “more than 10 specialized YouTube TV plans spanning sports, entertainment, and news.”
Another key priority for the platform is to provide even better age-appropriate experiences for kids and teens, and to keep enhancing and simplifying parental controls, so parents can manage how much time their children spend scrolling through YouTube Shorts. For the first time in the industry, the set timer can go down to zero – meaning parents can completely block their kids and teens from watching Shorts.
Finally, YouTube will focus on speeding up brand deals, making it easier for brands and influencer marketing agencies to find and hire suitable creators. Creators will also gain access to new tools to make these partnerships successful, like the ability to “add a link to a brand's site in Shorts or swap out a branded segment once a deal concludes.”
You can read CEO Mohan’s letter and explore all of YouTube’s priorities for 2026 in detail on the platform’s dedicated blog.
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Martina is a Berlin-based music writer and digital content specialist. She started playing the violin at age six and spent ten years immersed in classical music. Today, she writes about all things music, with a particular interest in the complexities of the music business, streaming, and artist fairness.
