Jimmy Donaldson, widely known as MrBeast and the most-subscribed creator on YouTube with over 400 million followers, is facing criticism following his promotion of an AI-powered thumbnail generator.
The tool, developed in collaboration with analytics platform Viewstats, was marketed as a resource for creators that can swap faces and mimic the style of popular videos.
The launch drew immediate backlash from fellow creators and digital artists, who argued that the technology could be used to copy their creative work without consent. One of the most vocal critics was Seán McLoughlin, better known as Jacksepticeye, whose logo and thumbnail design were reportedly used in promotional material without his permission.
“I hate what this platform is turning into. F*** AI,” McLoughlin writes on X.
In response to the criticism, Donaldson addressed concerns on social media, writing, “I’ll build this more in a way to be inspiration for artists/a tool they use and not replace them.”
However, Donaldson appears to have annoyed other content creators with Eric Pointcrow calling MrBeast “a piece of work.” The controversy has touched a nerve in a community where the replication of thumbnails is already contentious.
“YouTube pioneered online pile-on culture, in which everyone wants a piece of someone else’s name, image, or likeness,” Jess Maddox, an associate professor at the University of Alabama who studies digital platforms, tells Fast Company. “But it’s actually quite hard to go after MrBeast… He’s almost too big to fail.”
YouTubers’ Videos are Being Used To Train AI
The anger felt by some YouTubers comes after the release of Google Veo 3 and the revelation that the model was trained on the work of the platform’s creators.
According to a report by CNBC, Google is tapping into YouTube’s library of 20 billion videos to train its AI models. The news outlet cited a source not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Google later confirmed to CNBC that it does use YouTube videos to train its AI, but says it only relies on a subset of content and adheres to specific agreements with creators and media partners.
However, YouTubers have expressed surprise that Google is using their work to train Veo.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
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