Fake Movie Trailers Made With AI Are Being Demonetized on YouTube

Forum 3 days ago

Fake Movie Trailers Made With AI Are Being Demonetized on YouTube

As AI continues to advance, so do fake trailers. Fan-made videos like The Insect trailer starring Dwayne Johnson or Screen Culture’s fake Superman trailer profit from massive views. After ethical issues arose from YouTube channels creating fake marketing for big movies, the site has turned to demonetizing them.

It all started back in 2005 when a fake trailer called “Titanic 2: Jack’s Back” premiered. The popular trailer mixed footage from Leonardo DiCaprio‘s movies and 1997’s Titanic to look like a realistic sequel preview. As of now, the YouTube video has received 53 million views.

Some creators have turned the passion of creating fake trailers into a living. Channels like VJ4rawr2, KH Studio, and Screen Culture have used AI to create a more authentic trailer look, even resembling well-known actors.

Considering the ethics surrounding fake trailers exploiting IP and talent, you’d think movie studios would be issuing copyright suits. But according to Deadline, studios like Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony, and Paramount are quietly earning ad revenue from these fake movie ads.

The actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, has criticized the growing trend of fake trailers, believing it exploits members without their consent. Here was their statement to Deadline:

“Just as SAG-AFTRA is aggressively bargaining contract terms and creating laws to protect and enforce our members’ voice and likeness rights, we expect our bargaining partners to aggressively enforce their IP from any, and all AI misappropriation. Monetizing unauthorized, unwanted, and subpar uses of human-centered IP is a race to the bottom. It incentivizes technology companies and short-term gains at the expense of lasting human creative endeavor.”

What is YouTube doing about fake trailers?

Days after the fake trailer investigation was published in Deadline, YouTube clearly took notice of it. According to Techspot, YouTube turned off ad revenue for KH Studio and Screen Culture, two of the biggest fake trailer channels, for violating monetization policies.

Cutting off revenue will come from previously published fan trailers and similar videos. According to YouTube’s policies, a creator borrowing footage must “change it significantly” into their own works. YouTube also doesn’t allow duplication, repetition, or videos made solely to attract more views. Anything manipulated that misleads viewers is contraband as well.

KH Studio’s founder issued a statement to Deadline about getting demonetized:

“I’ve been running KH Studio full-time for over three years now, putting everything into it. It’s tough to see it grouped under ‘misleading content’ in the demonetization decision, when my goal has always been to explore creative possibilities – not to misrepresent real releases.”

Screen Culture’s founder, Nikhil P. Chaudhari, also questioned what the harm was in creating content that viewers know is fake. It looks like YouTube will take more notice of channels earning money with fake movie promotion content, and it’s uncertain if creators will continue to make new fan-made promos without monetization.