Creators boost AI adoption to 87% as YouTube adds agentic tools
Over the past year, 87% of creators have increased their use of AI in content creation, and 86% plan to raise it further in the next 12 months. This growth comes after an early‑year rejection of AI‑generated content and coincides with YouTube’s addition of agentic features such as video A/B testing and conversational editing.
YouTube’s new Ask Studio tool, powered by Gemini, lets creators upload multiple video versions and predicts which version will keep viewers watching the longest. CapCut and Adobe Firefly provide AI‑driven editing suites that creators use for tasks ranging from brainstorming to file organization, while brands worry that AI‑flagged posts could trigger platform penalties dubbed “AI jail”. Creators such as Gigi Robinson employ AI for analytics and task management, yet concerns persist that heavy reliance on generative AI could erode authenticity and lead to homogeneous content.
“I think it’s a lot harder to be super binary because it’s just crept into our everyday so much,” Lucy Kruszynski said.
“I don’t think brands care outside of like, ‘is this content going to be flagged as AI? And if it is, will I get into AI jail or algorithm jail?’ That’s the tricky part,” Keith Bendes said.
Earlier in the year, after the release of OpenAI’s Sora 2, the creator economy loudly denounced generative AI content in favor of authenticity. YouTube removed AI slop accounts, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri issued a memo urging higher ranking for originality, and brands sought the messiness and creativity of real creators.
What we know
In the last 10 months, AI has steadily crept into nearly every corner of the creator economy.
Lucy Kruszynski said she was on a panel about AI and creators in 2019.
Last July, Billion Dollar Boy reported that 32% of creators polled suggested using AI and scheduling tools to reduce workload and prevent burnout.
Its November 2025 poll of creators showed 87% had increased their use of AI in their content creation process over the last year, with 86% planning to increase it even more in the next 12 months.
At the beginning of the year, not long after the release of OpenAI’s Sora 2 and its almost immediate backlash, the creator economy at large loudly denounced generative AI content in favor of authenticity.