YouTubers sell unused videos to AI companies – Report

• Published On: 12 January 2025 at 04:51

YouTubers and digital creators profit by selling unused video footage to AI companies seeking unique content to improve their algorithms.

According to Bloomberg, these deals can pay creators thousands of dollars, demonstrating the growing demand for diverse, high-quality video data in AI development.

"OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.'s Google, AI media company Moonvalley and several other AI companies are collectively paying hundreds of content creators for access to their unpublished videos," according to the newspaper.

"That content, which hasn't been posted elsewhere online, is considered valuable for training artificial intelligence systems since it's unique."

According to the report, AI companies pay between $1 and $4 per minute for video footage, with higher prices for superior quality or unique formats.

For example, 4K videos and non-traditional content, such as drone footage or 3D animations, command higher prices.

The majority of unused footage created for platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok is priced between $1 and $2 per minute, according to the report.