Several major Hollywood studios are reportedly capitalizing on artificial intelligence-generated movie trailers on YouTube, a practice that has drawn opposition from the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA. A recent report from Deadline claims that Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Sony Pictures have chosen to redirect advertising revenue to themselves instead of taking action against popular channels like Screen Culture and KH Studio, which create these AI-generated trailers. The union has voiced its disapproval, asserting that these studios are profiting from content that falsely represents their members’ likenesses without consent.
While fan-made trailers have existed for years, advancements in AI tools such as OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo have made it increasingly easy for users to generate content. YouTube is reportedly inundated with low-quality AI-generated material, which studios could address by initiating copyright claims. However, doing so would conflict with their interests in monetizing the increased traffic to these channels.
Screen Culture boasts an impressive following, with 1.4 million subscribers and nearly 1.4 billion views. In contrast, KH Studio has 683,000 subscribers and approximately 560 million views. The videos produced by both channels typically splice together clips from legitimate movies with AI-generated elements. Many of these trailers reference actual upcoming films that already have official previews, such as Superman and Jurassic World: Rebirth, whereas others present themselves as fictitious adaptations or sequels.
Following the publication of Deadline‘s investigation, YouTube took immediate action to suspend monetization abilities for Screen Culture and KH Studio.
The channels have been removed from YouTube’s partner program for infringing on video monetization guidelines. YouTube stipulates that videos must not be “duplicative or repetitive” and creators must make substantial changes when using content from other sources. Additionally, videos are prohibited from misleading viewers, which pertains to the creation of deceptive trailers that could be mistaken for official product releases.
Both Screen Culture and KH Studio have the option to appeal the suspension of their advertising revenues. Notably, KH Studio has already adapted its recent uploads, downgrading titles from “first trailer” to “concept trailer.”
The disclosure that studios are profiting from AI-generated content at the expense of actor protections can be disheartening for union members, who have been negotiating for consent regarding AI usage in their contracts.
“As SAG-AFTRA vigorously advocates for contract negotiations and legal protections for our members’ rights to their voices and likenesses, we expect studios to take serious measures against any and all unauthorized AI exploitation,” the union stated in response to the Deadline report. “Profiting from unsolicited and substandard uses of human-centered intellectual property undermines the creative industry and promotes a business environment focused solely on short-term profits.”
