Hollywood has a new AI problem, fake movie trailers that rack up millions of views. But instead of taking them down, major studios like Warner Bros., Paramount, and Sony were profiting from them by filing copyright claims and redirecting ad revenue to themselves. Now, YouTube has stepped in, demonetizing two of the biggest channels behind these AI-generated fakes: Screen Culture and KH Studio. These channels, with nearly 2 million combined subscribers, have released viral trailers featuring fabricated blockbusters, like a Twilight sequel starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson or a Street Fighter movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Keanu Reeves. While YouTube says the crackdown is due to misleading and repetitive content, the real controversy is how Hollywood studios chose to monetize AI-generated slop rather than shut it down.
Actors aren’t happy. The SAG-AFTRA union has slammed studios for profiting from unauthorized AI content, calling it a “race to the bottom” that threatens human creativity. Meanwhile, the creators of these fake trailers defend their work, arguing it’s all just harmless "what-if" content. KH Studio’s founder insists the channel was never meant to deceive viewers, while Screen Culture’s Nikhil P. Chaudhari claims most users know the trailers aren’t official.
Actors aren’t happy. The SAG-AFTRA union has slammed studios for profiting from unauthorized AI content, calling it a “race to the bottom” that threatens human creativity. Meanwhile, the creators of these fake trailers defend their work, arguing it’s all just harmless "what-if" content. KH Studio’s founder insists the channel was never meant to deceive viewers, while Screen Culture’s Nikhil P. Chaudhari claims most users know the trailers aren’t official.
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00:00Hollywood has a new AI problem, fake trailers that rack in millions of views.
00:04But instead of shutting them down, some studios were profiting from them. Here's why YouTube just stepped in.
00:10Fake AI generated movie trailers are all over YouTube, but now two of the biggest channels behind them just got demonetized.
00:17According to Deadline, YouTube has pulled a plug on ad revenue for Screen Culture and KH Studios,
00:23known for their fake trailers featuring AI generated content. The two popular channels,
00:28which have amassed nearly 2 million combined subscribers, have produced videos that have teased things like Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson
00:35returning for a sixth edition to the Twilight Saga. As well as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Keanu Reeves,
00:41starring in Street Fighter the movie trailer, which sounds exciting, but there's just one problem.
00:46None of these movies exist.
00:48So why is YouTube cracking down? The platform says these videos are misleading, repetitive, and created just to farm views.
00:55But the bigger controversy goes beyond just clickbait.
00:59According to The Verge, major studios like Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Sony weren't shutting down these fake trailers.
01:05Instead, they were cashing in on them.
01:07So instead of issuing copyright strikes against the fake movie channels, which could have forced these channels offline under YouTube's three-strike policy,
01:15Hollywood Studios took a different route.
01:17The studios filed copyright claims,
01:20allowing the content and channels to stay up while redirecting at least some of the ad revenue back to themselves.
01:26Now, actors are outraged that studios are profiting from what they call AI-generated slop that exploits celebrity likeness
01:34without their permission. In response, the SAG-AFTRA union has condemned the studios, calling it a race to the bottom that undermines human creativity.
01:42Now, according to Deadline, the success of these fake movie trailers has generated millions in ad revenue.
01:49The report states both studios have responded to the controversy with KH Studios' founder stating that the channel's purpose is to entertain with
01:56what-if ideas rather than mislead viewers.
02:00Meanwhile, Screen Culture founder Nicole P. Shidari
02:03argued that most YouTube users
02:05understand the channel does not post official trailers, and that the real ones can be found by searching for the official studio channels.
02:12Adding, if people are fooled by the trailers, what's the harm?
02:15So, what do you think? Share your thoughts below and follow us everywhere at What's Trending.