Some of Hollywood’s biggest studios have been raking in ad revenue from AI-generated movie trailers on YouTube, instead of taking action to remove them, The Verge reports. Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Sony Pictures have opted to redirect ad earnings from accounts like Screen Culture and KH Studio, which specialise in fabricating trailers that blend AI-generated content with clips from real movies and TV shows.
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The decision has drawn sharp criticism from SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, which accuses the studios of profiting from AI-generated videos that exploit performers’ likenesses without consent.
Fan-made trailers have existed for years, but recent advancements in AI tools, such as OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo, have made it easier to churn out content that appears polished enough to deceive viewers. YouTube has seen an influx of such material, often presented as official previews for upcoming films. Studios could combat the issue by issuing copyright strikes against these uploads, but doing so would prevent them from cashing in on the trend.
Screen Culture, which boasts 1.4 million subscribers and nearly 1.4 billion views, has been a particularly prominent source of AI-assisted trailers. KH Studio, with its 683,000 subscribers and 560 million views, follows a similar model. Their videos frequently mimic real movie trailers, sometimes for confirmed projects like Superman and Jurassic World: Rebirth, while others claim to be previews for nonexistent sequels or adaptations.
The widespread sharing of these clips on social media has led many viewers to believe they are official releases. Two days after Deadline published an investigation into the matter, YouTube suspended both channels from its partner program, cutting off their ability to earn ad revenue.
YouTube’s guidelines prohibit monetisation of videos that are “duplicative or repetitive” or created solely to attract views. Additionally, its misinformation policies forbid content that could mislead audiences, which includes fabricating trailers that might be mistaken for legitimate studio productions.
While Screen Culture and KH Studio can appeal the decision, KH Studio has already altered its approach. Recent uploads now carry the label “concept trailer” rather than “first trailer,” a shift that seems designed to avoid further scrutiny.
For actors who have fought to secure AI-related protections in their contracts, the revelation that studios have been profiting from AI slop instead of safeguarding performers’ likenesses is a bitter pill to swallow. SAG-AFTRA responded with a statement condemning the practice.
