A recent report highlighted that major Hollywood studios have been monetizing fake movie trailers generated through artificial intelligence. In response, YouTube has decided to take action by pausing two channels, Screen Culture and KH Films, that were primarily known for creating these trailers.
According to Deadline, which first reported on the issue, YouTube has disabled ad revenue for both channels. Screen Culture is the more prominent of the two, with its founder, Nikhil Chaudhari, being quoted throughout the report. The channel gained notoriety for creating trailers for non-existent films such as Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman. KH Film, on the other hand, produced trailers for a hypothetical season of Squid Game starring Leonardo DiCaprio and a James Bond film featuring Henry Cavill and Margot Robbie.
YouTube has accused Screen Culture and KH Studio of violating its monetization policies. Deadline notes that content creators are required to make substantial changes if they use materials created by others. Additionally, videos should not be "duplicative or repetitive" or made solely "for the purpose of getting views." The issue of misinformation is also relevant, as YouTube prohibits content that could mislead viewers. For instance, Screen Culture’s videos have featured characters like Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson’s Galactus, who have not been confirmed in Marvel’s official trailers.
The founder of KH Studio explained to Deadline that the videos are intended as entertaining "what if" scenarios. He expressed his disappointment with the classification of his content as "misleading" in the demonetization decision, stating that his goal was to explore creative possibilities rather than misrepresent actual releases. Similarly, during the initial report, Nikhil Chaudhari mentioned that most YouTube users are aware that the videos are fictitious, arguing that no real harm is done. However, Chaudhari had not responded to Deadline at the time of reporting.
