Behind

YouTube's July 15 YPP Policy Update and Three Messages I Got From It

Creators in Panic Mode

Starting last week, posts like "AI videos will be blocked by July 15th" and "You won't earn ad revenue unless you use your own voice" have been flooding community forums.

The crux of this policy update is that the YPP guide will be updated to strengthen the detection of mass-produced, repeatedly used content.

With creators in a state of panic, a post was made on YouTube's X account. To sum it up, it's a minor update aiming to clarify the language used in the policy, helping creators understand which content can no longer generate revenue.

What's Really Changing?

YouTube has long penalized and demonetized recycled or copyright-infringing videos lacking originality.

What's changing now is that YouTube aims to better identify content that appears new on the surface—like simple image slideshows or videos with awkward scripts that scream GPT—but offer no real value.

According to the actual guidelines, "Starting July 15, YPP participating creators may find their ability to monetize mass-produced, repetitive content restricted. This update showcases how inauthentic content is perceived today."

My Take on Various Rumors

Rumor 1: "If AI voice or AI images are used, you won't make any profit at all"

YouTube has been targeting low-quality, spammy content that lacks human effort, not necessarily content that utilizes AI.

If we use AI wisely to create original and valuable content, it will be recognized as meaningful and won't be subject to penalties.

Rumor 2: "You must record your actual voice from now on"

This seems to stem from the idea that TTS usage would be banned due to the mass production of click-bait content.

As the overall performance of AI voices has improved, and if used properly, they no longer negatively impact video quality. Therefore, the rumor that you must use your voice is a misinterpretation.

In fact, a TTS that pronounces naturally and clearly can be evaluated better in terms of quality than my own voice, which might have poor pronunciation or microphone quality.

Rumor 3: "Reaction channels will be completely banned"

This rumor likely arose from the notion that reaction channels would be removed from YPP due to a lack of 'originality'.

The message from the YouTube team seems clear. This update aims to strengthen policies against low-quality, mass-produced content, which YouTube YPP has always frowned upon, and that's about it.

If reaction videos involve separate filming and human editing effort, and if they carry valuable messages, then there's no need to worry.

Reflections as a Co-Founder of Videostew

This update might not be groundbreaking, but seeing all the wild rumors swirling around got me thinking about a few things.

From the very beginning, Videostew has been on the ‘right path’, aligning well with the policies of YouTube, where many of our users actually distribute their videos.

Since we first broke ground on development a few years ago, Videostew has been dedicated to finding the perfect balance between ‘automation’ and ‘human effort’.

Then came the era of AI. Even then, our team’s perspective on AI remained unchanged. AI is merely a tool to boost productivity, but ultimately, human creativity is crucial in crafting the ‘visible’ content.

Therefore, we have focused on designing a user experience that allows creativity to shine easily. The current experience, where AI drafts and users finalize with their input, is the result of that focus.

However, from a marketing perspective, there are some slightly embarrassing parts. While I detest the myriad of fake AI video generator services claiming to complete projects with a ‘click’, I’ve found myself using that very expression.

Regardless, with YouTube’s policy tightening, which is big news for the video creator ecosystem, it seems time for the many fake AI video generator services that churn out spam content to disappear from the market.

Three Things Creators Need to Check Moving Forward

Copyright

The most crucial aspect is determining whether the videos I use fall within the scope of fair use as defined by YouTube.

YouTube doesn't just prevent videos from being used to keep the ecosystem alive. However, it's essential that there's clear added value rather than just re-uploading the video as is.

The added value here is more than just a casual comment. It's about needing that video to tell your unique story, rather than using the video almost as is and just adding commentary. That's something to avoid.

Content Density

Instead of being swayed by a single policy, the crucial thing is for creators to find the answer to the question, "Why should viewers spend their time watching this content till the end?" These are the creators YouTube wants.

On the flip side, no one wants to waste server space, data, and time on spam content created by a single AI click that even the creator doesn't want to watch.

Ultimately, for each cut (or slide in Videostew), creators need to give viewers a reason to keep watching, which requires a certain amount of 'human effort.' (Of course, in Videostew, this effort is minimized...)

Scope of AI Use

Rather than simply uploading results made by AI with a single click, I believe that the creator's experience, commentary, and narrative should be added to it.

As shown in the image above, using AI as a tool to enhance productivity or explanatory power is a good direction.

From this perspective, Videostew has been very cautious about designing everything to be completed with a 'click.' Although a near-complete draft can be created in one go through [Starting with an Idea], it is understood that this alone cannot elicit a good response from the audience. Hence, stock video matching cannot be done automatically in one go, and users are encouraged to check each slide individually.

Creating AI images is no different. We focus on the user experience by reviewing the content of each slide and generating images that match the content, allowing users to choose their preferences.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the takeaway is that Videostew should continue on its current path. Loyal customers who have discovered the strengths of Videostew and have been using it for a long time can continue to do so without worry.

With this update, we believe that spam content resulting from automated mass production will be eradicated, and a new era will open where creators who incorporate AI into the video production process will stand out.

Videostew will continue to focus on creating an environment where you can “start lightly, create freely”, allowing you to easily draft and edit to your taste!