YouTube's Wishy Washy AI Principles Revealed: What Are They Hiding?

This Week: YouTube and UMG begin using AI to replace musicians, TikTok cuts 3rd party shops out of the platform, a new creator org launches, a top VC dishes on the creator economy and new research and data you’ll want to see.? It’s the last week of August and here’s what you need to know.

YouTube’s Wishy Washy Principles Hide Its Horrific Vision:? As part of an announcement of its new AI Music Incubator, in partnership with Universal Music Group, YouTube laid out three of the namby-pambyiest “principles” I’ve ever seen.? Check out Principle 1: AI is here, and we will embrace it responsibly together with our music partners. What does that even mean?? Or #2: AI is ushering in a new age of creative expression, but it must include appropriate protections and unlock opportunities for music partners who decide to participate.? That’s some bland corporate-speak right there.? However vague, it doesn’t mask YouTube and UMG's plan to create music without musicians. I expect more outrage as creators wise up.?

Aside, the first thing I imagined when I heard “AI Music Incubator” was a nursery full of baby robots being serenaded by a virtual Jerry Garcia playing keytar.??

A Comms Crisis at YouTube?? As part of the announcement, YouTube posted two bylined AI Music stories – the first?by YouTube CEO Neal Mohan , the second from UMG chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grange .? Two days later, as I write this, all bylines across the YouTube blog are gone – which makes those articles weirdly seem written by AI constructs. Quick, click this link – and tell me who this guy is?

TikTok Made Me Sell It:? Beware the bait and switch.? That’s what many TikTok creators face, as?a new report claims TikTok is about to ban all external shopping links , presumably including those to Amazon, WooCommerce, LTK, Square and other affiliates.? TikTok denies the report, but it will kill off its Shopify integration on September 12th. ? TikTok’s own shop is small but growing quickly, with daily sales volume tripling since early summer.? But it’s still on pace to lose a half billion this year. If true, this is not only bad for creators, but could push them even harder to Shorts, Reels and other platforms.? It also raises anti-trust issues, and the last thing TikTok wants is upset yet ANOTHER branch of the US Government. I strongly encourage Creators to move now to build direct connections with fans before TikTok cuts you out.

A New Growth Industry in the Creator Economy – Organizing Creators:? A new creator advocacy organization just launched – Creators Guild of America – that seems poised to go head-to-head with Creators.org .? CGA seems more steeped in traditional union infrastructure, with nearly 20% of leadership either current or former Producers Guild of America staff.? You can sign up today for $100, although the eligibility requirements are a bit odd.? As a LinkedIn creator I tick all the boxes except “5 confirmed creative credits”.? Whatinheck is that?? I’m pocketing my Benjamin until I know a bit more.? Looking forward to seeing how this plays out – Ezra Cooperstein of Creators.Org is speaking at VidCon Baltimore, perhaps CGA Founder and President Daniel Abas will show up too.? For interesting perspective, join the discussion on my LinkedIn CGA post.

Top VC Andrew Chen Weighs in on the State of the Creator Economy:? Good analysis of the headwinds faced by startups in the creator economy – and why it’s different from other industries. ? Chen should know, at a16z he’s looked at numerous companies and invested in a few too.? He nails the inherent problems with algorithmic waves, along with an insightful look at % pricing vs. flat rate, and the creator power law that concentrates market power at the top. His take on link-in-bio, however, is outdated.? Don’t get too discouraged though. Most strong well-run companies are not venture worthy. With $35 BILLION under management, A16z has to swing for the fences.? You can poke a double down the line and still win.

QUIBIS: ???

YOUTUBE

• YouTube working to combat medical disinformation on platform.??
• RSS ingestion coming for audio podcasts, reportedly to launch by the end of the year .?
• Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie and Shorts PM Todd Sherman share secrets on algorithm, post time, length and much more .?
• YouTube using its own co-viewing data for CTVs, upsetting ad agencies.? Mike Shields thinks they’ll get away with it .

META

• FB and IG forced to add unranked follower-only AI feeds in EU – I’d like to see it roll out globally.??

• New searchable FB and IG ad library lets you uncover sponsored posts and see what other brands are doing. Great tool for brands and creators! (HT @Lia Haberman and @lindsay Gamble).
• Meta releases new AI transcription and translation tool across 100 languages – but you STILL need a human to review in most cases.
• Web version of Threads launches.? Internet goes crazy .
• Looks like the next generation of Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses will include livestreaming .? I own the URL Headcasting.com if anyone wants to buy it.

TIKTOK

• The perils of relying on TikTok for news .
• Forbes found a year-old draft of the government’s TikTok ban plan , it’s interesting but likely out of date.

OTHER CREATOR ECONOMY

• Kai Cenat and AMP join Mr. Beast and Dream as Reed Duchscher’s agency Night acquires LFM. John Knight now VP of Digital – aside does that mean they’ll appoint a VP of Analog too?
• Twitch now testing a vertically scrolling discovery feed (just like TikTok).
• Good interview with CEO Matt Mullenweg on the future of Tumblr .
• Few weeks late here, but popular productivity expert Ali Abdaal launches Hey Friends Studio – an all-in-one ideation, editing, production and packaging service for creators.? Interesting model.
• LinkedIn adding new features to newsletters and the ability to have 5 separate ones .? Phew, one is enough for me.
• Twitch re-evaluating its multicast ban , now lets Ninja simulcast across platforms.
• Roblox sued in California for encouraging kids to gamble.
• Strong YOY growth numbers for OnlyFans in 2022 .? I wonder how 2023 is going?
• Awful to hear these stories of managers ripping off clients , but on the plus side it’s jailtime for the MediaMuv scammers – who used ContentID to rip-off music creators.
• I don’t provide investing advice, but Triller scares me .
• Producers share the limelight at live Podcast events.

STATS AND RESEARCH

• New research from Insider Intelligence shows what I’ve been saying for a while – social network usage is plateauing as the industry matures. Also of note, watching video comprises more than half of social media use, and social video makes up 23% of all time watching video.? Also, time spent with both TikTok and YouTube is projected to be flat to slightly rising over the next few years.?
• Nice collection of stats about the creator economy worth bookmarking if you need a cheat-sheet for conversations and presentations.? Sources cited at the bottom, so you can explore its legitimacy if you’re worried.

GENERATIVE AI

• NYT considers suing OpenAI for copyright infringement.
• Welcome to the “Trough of Despair”!? Like clockwork, here comes the “AI is DEAD” phase of the hype cycle. So predictable.
• Mr. Beast steps in it – latest video treats Puerto Rico and Guam as countries, but not Taiwan or Tibet .?
• You might have heard about buzzy crypto social app Friend.tech .? Might be best to wait on this one .

TIPS

• I talk a lot about creators owning their audiences – here are 5 tips to help you convert your Instagram followers .
• My podcast co-host Renee Teely with 16 amazing ways to make money from YouTube – even if you have less than 1,000 subscribers.

Thanks for reading and see you around the internet. Send me a note with your feedback, or post in the comments! Feel free to share this with anyone you think might be interested, and if someone forwarded this to you, you can sign up?and subscribe on LinkedIn for free here !?

If you’re interested in working together as a sponsor to reach the leaders in the creator economy, check out Inside the Creator’s sponsorship packages and/or email me at [email protected]

And don't forget to listen to The Creator Feed - the weekly podcast Renee Teeley and I produce - get it on Apple Podcasts ,Spotify or Stitcher ! I go into MUCH more detail on the YouTube AI story along with more analysis and fun.