AI Slop Takes Over YouTube
2026 Stock Plays for the Slop Era
As 2025 comes to a close, AI slop has undeniably taken over YouTube with top slop channels collectively raking in over $117 million annually while driving billions of views.
AI slop refers to low-quality, mass-produced digital content generated using artificial intelligence tools, characterized by a lack of effort. It’s often created in high volumes resulting in repetitive material that floods online platforms.
The Rise of “Monkey Is Our Friend”
The undisputed leader is Bandar Apna Dost (”Monkey Is Our Friend”), an India-based channel featuring an AI monkey thrust into ridiculous, dramatic human situations. No real plot, no dialogue, just AI visuals optimized for instant reaction.
Key stats as of late December 2025:
Over 2.4 billion lifetime views
More than 2.7 million subscribers
Estimated annual earnings: $4.25 million
Other notable examples include:
Three Minutes Wisdom (South Korea) – AI animated wisdom clips, ~25% of Korea’s AI slop views, potentially earning $4M+ yearly
Pouty Frenchie (Singapore) – an AI French bulldog in bizarre adventures, ~$4M estimated revenue
Cuentos Facinantes (US, Spanish-language) – low-quality AI Dragon Ball knockoffs, 5.95M subscribers (highest among slop channels)
Why YouTube Lets It Happen
Money of course!
YouTube’s ad revenue hit record highs in 2025 (e.g., over $10 billion in Q3 alone), and analysts credit the endless stream of cheap AI slop for boosting engagement.
Despite policy updates in July 2025 tightening rules on “inauthentic” or mass-produced content, enforcement has been limited, and slop continues to thrive. Advertisers haven’t pulled back significantly, so Alphabet continues to reap the benefits.
2026 Stock Plays for the Slop Era
Despite some reported fatigue, AI slop continues to thrive and the tools will only get more sophisticated, so expect more AI generated content in 2026. If you’re looking to benefit financially from this trend add convexity to your portfolio on 10-20% dips involving companies directly profiting from the explosion such as Alphabet (GOOGL), YouTube’s parent or Nvidia (NVDA) which powers AI video tools with GPUs.