After MrBeast – the most popular digital creator on the planet – exposed major issues. Given his experiences with AI art, he is particularly wary of how AI will impact content creators’ livelihoods. As the top creator on Forbes’ 2025 list, with earnings totaling $85 million and a following of 634 million, MrBeast’s influence in the industry is substantial. All of these things combined, he dubbed the landscape “scary times” for creators, especially after recent talks about AI-related content creation.
MrBeast’s concerns started to get noticed after he began facing backlash from his own fans and other creators. The controversy was sparked by an AI tool he launched, which produced video thumbnails. After receiving this criticism, he immediately took the tool down from his analytics platform, Viewstats. MrBeast heard the criticism and honestly seemed to understand it. In response, he announced plans to replace the AI tool with links to human artists that can be commissioned, reflecting his dedication to fostering human creativity within the industry.
In a now-deleted series of posts on X, MrBeast detailed his fears surrounding AI-generated video. Second, he challenged how this technology could continue to adversely affect the millions of creators that depend on content creation to make a living. His comments underscore the growing discontent of creators. What they’re concerned about is what the rapid development of AI means for human content creators.
The conversation around AI’s role in content creation is gaining momentum, particularly with the rise of tools like OpenAI’s Sora, which recently soared to No. 1 on the U.S. App Store following a surge in downloads. This is indicative of a larger trend of accelerating interest in AI technologies across nearly every sector. It raises big questions about the fate of human-driven creativity itself.
Sarah has served as an executive editor, managing editor and veteran reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She loves to write and speak about how technology is changing all industries with a particular focus on the creator economy. With deep knowledge from her years in IT at banking, retail and software industries, she delivers new understanding in her stories. Prior to coming on board at TechCrunch, Sarah was in her third year at ReadWriteWeb. You can email her for confirmation or with any other questions at sarahp@techcrunch.com. Or, to reach her directly, send her an encrypted message on Signal at sarahperez.
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