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Kapwing’s researchers analyzed trending YouTube channels worldwide and simulated the experience of a brand-new user by scrolling through the first 500 YouTube Shorts on a freshly created account. The results show that 21% of those videos were AI-generated, while 33% fell into the category of so-called “brainrot” — compulsive, repetitive, and often nonsensical content designed to keep viewers watching rather than deliver substance.

Kapwing found that the scale of AI slop varies widely by country. Spain’s trending AI slop channels have the largest combined subscriber base in the world, totaling more than 20 million followers, despite there being relatively few such channels among the country’s top 100. Much of that reach is driven by a handful of highly successful channels producing religious-themed quizzes and comedy-style shorts.

South Korea, however, dominates in total views. AI slop channels trending in the country have amassed an estimated 8.45 billion views, far more than any other market.

The United States ranks third globally by subscriber count, with roughly 14.5 million subscribers across its trending AI slop channels, while Brazil and Pakistan also feature prominently in the rankings.

The report underscores why AI slop continues to proliferate: money. Channels generating massive volumes of short AI videos can earn millions of dollars annually through advertising alone. India’s Bandar Apna Dost, the most-viewed AI slop channel globally with more than 2 billion views, is estimated to earn over $4 million per year.

Researchers warn that the normalization of AI slop and brainrot is not just a cultural issue but a cognitive one. Repeated exposure to simplistic or misleading imagery can exploit well-known psychological effects, making viewers more likely to accept false or distorted narratives over time, even when they know the content is artificial.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported on how algorithms shape the new digital landscape.