From Substack to YouTube, here are the social platforms cracking down on AI slop

Companies running social platforms are updating their guidelines on AI-generated content, especially for monetized accounts.

Milan Surkala/Getty Images Social platforms are updating their guidelines on AI-generated content.

AI has been a point of tension across the creator community for years.

Here's how social platforms are handling AI-generated content and monetization.

As tech companies race to weave AI into every inch of their products, they're discovering there's a fine line between embracing new technology and flooding users with low-quality, machine-generated content.

The shifting guidelines reflect a broader tension across the creator economy.

Not long ago, social platforms competed aggressively for influencers with creator funds, exclusive programs, and monetization tools.

Many of those same companies are now investing billions in AI products and infrastructure, leaving some creators worried they're becoming less central to the platforms they helped grow.

Here's how major social platforms that rely on creators, including YouTube and Substack, are dealing with the proliferation of AI content.

YouTube Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images YouTube is sharpening its stance on AI-generated content.

In an update from the company's trust and safety team, on July 20, YouTube said it wants to reward creators who use AI to enhance original storytelling, as opposed to those who mass-produce generic content or AI personas designed to game the platform.

A YouTube spokesperson told Business Insider that the policy isn't new but an important clarification of YouTube's long-standing "inauthentic content" policy, intended to reduce ambiguity for content creators who have been demonetized for repetitive, low-effort, or emotionally manipulative videos.

In October, YouTube Music also rolled out labels to identify music generated primarily by AI or music in which generative AI played a significant role.

Listeners can tap a label on the player screen to learn how the technology contributed to a track, including its composition or vocals.