---
title: 'Guide to Ai YouTube Channel Monetization in 2026'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=8BqU5VyVkgg'
video_id: '8BqU5VyVkgg'
date: 2026-06-17
duration_sec: 0
---

# Guide to Ai YouTube Channel Monetization in 2026

> Source: [Guide to Ai YouTube Channel Monetization in 2026](https://youtube.com/watch?v=8BqU5VyVkgg)

## Summary

This video discusses the recent crackdown by YouTube on its Partner Program, where over 7.4 million channels were demonetized and 12 million videos were deleted, particularly affecting AI-generated content channels. The creator, Brian G. Johnson, shares a 14-step strategy to safeguard new or existing AI-driven channels from demonetization, focusing on humanizing the channel, establishing a strong personal brand, and producing unique, high-quality content.

### Key Points

- **Mass demonetization hits YouTube** [[0:04]] — YouTube removed 7,456,000 channels from the Partner Program, wiping out monetization for many, including AI channels.
- **Need for uniqueness** [[1:50]] — AI creators must focus on creating something unique and different to stand out from other channels using the same AI tools.
- **Key safety video** [[2:42]] — Create a 90-second to 2-minute video explaining who you are, how you use AI, and link it in the channel's About page to humanize the channel.
- **Brandability is crucial** [[4:22]] — Brand your channel at a high level—not just with an avatar, but with a unique direction and vision that cannot be copied.
- **Strong brand vs generic** [[11:36]] — A strong brand goes beyond an avatar; it includes channel direction, vision, and what makes it premium.
- **Best voiceover method** [[12:52]] — The best approach is to practice and use your own voice. If not, use a premium, unique AI voice from tools like Eleven Labs, not a generic one.
- **Source materials and licenses** [[16:02]] — Include in the safety video where you source materials, music licenses, and how scripts are written to add authority and safety.
- **Use your real name** [[18:14]] — Channel names should reflect a real person (e.g., "History with Brian G. Johnson") to build authority and pass human review.
- **Avoid mass production** [[24:04]] — Do not mass-produce or use templates. Create unique, story-driven content that feels premium, like documentaries.
- **Check the AI-generated box** [[24:40]] — Always check the box saying the video is AI-generated when uploading—it's good practice and playing by the rules.

### Conclusion

By humanizing your channel, using a real personal brand, creating unique high-quality content, and being transparent about AI use, you can safeguard your YouTube channel from demonetization and build a sustainable presence in 2026.

## Transcript

7,456,000
channels have been wiped out and removed from 
the YouTube partner program. In other words,  
their monetization is gone. And some channels 
have lost an insane amount of money. Like,  
we're talking lifechanging income. Pay your bills 
income wiped out based on the changes YouTube made  
to the partner program in 2025. And at the time 
we weren't really worried because the the verbiage  
what they said didn't change all that much. A 
few slight changes but now just in the last few  
weeks few months so many channels have been wiped 
out gone including videos over 12 million videos  
deleted from YouTube. So, what I want to do is I 
want to step back and catch you up to what I've  
been studying for weeks because I'm in this pivot 
heading towards AI. And quite frankly, I kind of  
feel like, wow, that was a huge blow. Like my plan 
to get a brand new channel monetized is scary. But  
after doing this research, I've come up with about 
14 steps and I feel fantastic. And if you too are  
worried because you want to leverage AI, you want 
to tell stories that would be otherwise impossible  
with the level of production that you can today 
with the tools we have today, then I guarantee  
these steps in order will put your mind at ease 
and give you direction. Number one, we really  
want to think about the production level and how 
we really think about creating YouTube videos.  
We're going to make a lot of decisions based 
on creating something unique and different  
and something that stands out from the rest of 
the channels that are using the same tools that  
you'll use that I'll use that all AI creators 
use and that's the difference. So, as we talk  
about voiceovers, I'm going to explain exactly 
the very best thing to do, the second best thing,  
and so on. I'm going to explain how to structure 
your channel again so you're safe. And that begins  
with one very important video that we're going to 
link across a brand new channel or the channel we  
already have. And if you do this, you're just 
setting yourself up for success. And here's  
what's fantastic. I feel so much better. Like for 
the last few days, just it's really nerving. So,  
we're going to link to this one video in the about 
page on YouTube. When you go to a channel, there's  
an about page and you can link to this special 
video. So, if someone accesses your channel  
and they're reviewing your channel and they're 
wondering, is this channel a channel that really  
belongs in the partner program? This one video is 
going to save you. So, first let's just talk about  
what this video is, what it does, how it works, 
and so on. You want to create a video that really  
expresses that this is a channel that's created 
by a human being. It's not a pipeline production.  
And even if you're using tools to craft and 
create an output a script or a voice over,  
you want to make sure that you have narrative 
control and you're making decisions and you  
structure the channel and this one video to really 
highlight that. So, for example, you might say,  
and I've got some notes here, excuse me. You might 
say, "Hey, uh, this is Brian G. Johnson, and on  
this channel, I research, I write with the help 
of AI, and I edit extensively historical videos,  
uh, storybased videos, whatever the direction 
of your niche is." And in doing this, you're  
telling the person that's looking at your channel 
in a very human way, hey, this is who I am. This  
is what this channel is about, and this is the 
important part. This is what makes it unique.  
The idea is we're going to build the channel in 
a very specific manner that makes it unique. And  
one big word, brandable. Now, this is a word 
that other channels people are talking about,  
Think Media, but I want to explain exactly how to 
do that. Oh, brand your channel. Let's talk about  
how to brand a channel at a super high level. And 
we're not just talking about making an avatar.  
We're talking about a number of decisions you can 
make to stand out and create something that is  
unique and stands on its own merit and it can't be 
copied. That's the difference. Okay. So, so think  
about this video that you're going to make, right? 
You're going to make a 90-second 2-minute video  
and you're going to say, "Hey, my name is Brian 
and I'm the person behind this channel and I do  
the work. I research. I write with the help of AI. 
I craft and create images by myself with prompts  
all in a con congruent congruent manner to really 
tell the story that I want to tell that otherwise  
wouldn't be possible. That's why I'm excited 
today about AI. In fact, I've literally been  
building my own production suite to really craft 
and create great content. So, it is congruent and  
like what we have today is incredible, but it 
doesn't matter if you don't do these steps. So,  
the second thing is again you want to talk 
about the research. I researched this. Now,  
there are some really powerful things that you 
can do again to stand out. Well, if you really  
think about just a few things like the goal here 
is to craft and create something with highlevel  
production and if you think in this manner manner 
you'll start to stand out. It's unavoidable. So,  
for example, a lot of the very best channels 
and literally like production TV, Netflix,  
uh, documentary style videos, they let you know 
what you're watching. In the absence of AI and  
robotics, we're actually totally screwed. We 
are working to build tools that one day could  
help us make new discoveries and address some of 
humanity's biggest challenges like climate change  
and curing cancer. Hi, welcome to another episode 
of Cold Fusion. Here's a question. How can I have  
you ever heard of a channel named Cold Fusion? 
Incredible documentaries. Now, what's interesting  
is this is a channel and when you watch there's 
an intro, a hook and then they mention you're  
watching we'll take detail and discuss what 
it all means. You are watching Fusion TV.  
and it's a different voice and it grounds the user 
and it lets you know where you're at and this is a  
unique viewing experience. There's another channel 
I believe it's AI revolution and they do the same  
thing and they make these decisions and they use 
and create assets. So the stinger a channel string  
stinger stringer would be you're watching Cold 
Fusion or for me it might be like you're watching  
uh history with Brian G. Johnson and here's the 
thing a lot of channels are doing this and if  
that's where it ends for you I don't think it's 
good enough. I think it's too easy for someone to  
say, well, this is history with David, which this 
is a tactic that's going around. And the idea is  
good, but the implementation is even more powerful 
and really more important. Don't just say history  
with David. have the audacity to create the 
video I mentioned that you link to in your about  
page that you link to in each individual video's 
description really explaining who you are, what  
you do, what makes this channel different, and 
the brand direction. Okay? Now, if you do these  
things, you immediately separate yourself because 
the person reviewing your channel is going to run  
into the video and you're sitting down talking 
to the camera explaining what makes your channel  
different. And and here's the thing, this is the 
very best way to do this. And if you're afraid of  
that, I get it. But the fact of the matter is, if 
you want to play smart and feel good about what  
you're making and worry a whole lot less when 
it comes time for monetization, then stepping  
through this fear and making it happen is how to 
make it happen. Now, another thing you can do is  
edit. Spend a little time learning how to edit, 
how to piece things together so you do have high  
production. That's the thing. Think about viewers 
on YouTube. Do they want to watch a channel that  
mass prodduces thousands of videos on a monthly 
basis across seven channels? Probably not. Are  
they excited to sit down and watch a video that 
is between 30 and 90 minutes covering the history  
of Rome or Caesar and and really took the time 
to dive deep and understand? Like for example,  
did you know that uh July is based on Julius 
Caesar's name? Julius July. Did you know that  
a C-section is well for Caesar? And there's 
just on and on. And if you do the research,  
right, this is another way that you can thing that 
you can mention in the video you create and even  
better in the videos you produce. Now, I know this 
sounds like a little extra because it is a little  
extra because a lot of people ruined it. There's 
too much AI slop on YouTube. And what we're going  
to do is we're going to separate ourselves from 
AI slop by creating extensively researched, highly  
written, smart videos that stand out. So what you 
can do is you can do the research to back up with  
citations just like they do when they write a big 
important paper. At the end of the paper there  
are citations. This is where I learned this from. 
And you can do the same thing in your video. Even  
if you use AI, do it smart. Separate yourself from 
the crowd and you're going to feel so much better.  
So find a site that's got got great resources 
based on history or whatever the subject you want  
to cover. And at that point you are separating 
yourself from all the other channels. And you can  
have a lower third on in your video explaining, 
hey, this is this information that we're talking  
about was sourced here. That is authorative. That 
is like a human being took the time to figure it  
out. and you you echo that same very thing in 
the 90 second to two minute video that you link  
throughout your channel. Is this making sense? 
And and this is really how to make this happen.  
You think about all the decisions you can make to 
separate yourself and create that strong brand. So  
for example, number one, with a strong brand, 
it's not just about an avatar. It's about the  
direction, the vision, what you're trying to 
achieve, and what makes it premium. You know,  
I ask channels, well, what's your channel about? 
What makes it unique? Oh, I do gameplay videos  
or I make a documentaries about this. And that's 
okay back in the day, but it's not enough anymore,  
especially with AI. So, these are the small extra 
steps you can take to solidify your channel, to  
separate yourself, and more. So, number one, have 
the brand stinger. You're watching Cold Fusion or  
you're watching History with Brian G. Johnson 
TV, whatever the name of your channel is. Like,  
you can't have a generic sounding channel and 
think it's okay because it's not. You have to  
separate yourself and then create the avatar. 
Now, here's something really powerful. I've  
mentioned two channels. One is documentaries. 
It's called Cold Fusion and it's incredible.  
And the voice over, it is unbelievably good. 
So, the very best thing you can do to separate  
yourself from the crowd is practice your delivery 
on camera or off camera, but record your voice.  
And as you do this more and more, you'll get 
more proficient. It'll sound better. And again,  
it'll separate you. That's the best thing you can 
do. Cold Fusion does that. Now, what if you don't  
want to put yourself on camera? You don't want 
to record your own voice. I get it. Cuz I really,  
my goal was incredibly high production, 100% AI, 
and that's a bit scary. So, what you do is you  
do not use the same voice. I can't believe this is 
even a thing. Like, if you take the lazy approach,  
you get the lazy response. Nope. Denied. you're 
not in the partner program. Why would anybody,  
and I shouldn't even say this, but it's honestly 
how I feel. I don't think it makes sense,  
just to go to 11 Labs or another AI tool and get 
the same type of voice over that you've already  
heard. I see I see channels, too, because I've 
been researching extensively. I'm like, "Oh, this  
is a great channel." And I literally watch like 
so many people, millions and millions of views,  
life-changing income. But then I find another 
channel and I'm like, "Oh, interesting. It's  
the same voice as that other channel I like." Huh. 
It's the same format. Oh, and they're uploading at  
the same cadence. It's like, oh, all the decisions 
are made based on easy. And this just is not easy  
when you don't get into the program. And I know 
it's a pain in the ass. But like if you want to be  
safe, then the thing to do is take all these steps 
that I'm breaking down and think about how you can  
apply them in what you're willing to do to get 
there. Right? So for me, it's like I'm going to  
use an AI voice, but maybe I'll introduce my own 
videos. Maybe I'll be on camera for 10 seconds,  
do a voice over talking about what the story 
is, and then hand it over to AI. At that point,  
now I'm in the video. Now it's my voice and so on 
and all of these things. It's all about premium,  
highly brandable video experience that you 
can only get on this one channel. You know,  
this is now future creators with Brian G. Johnson. 
Isn't it ironic that when I pivoted a month ago,  
this is the format I chose for my channel name 
be and here's why. I didn't even know this at  
the time, but it is absolutely the direction 
you want to go and it's not history with David.  
That's ridiculous. It's your full name. So, future 
creators because there's a lot of other channels  
based on future creators or future, you know, 
future tools with Matt Wolf. Like, exactly.  
Did you see what I did there? He's branded. He's 
on his channel. He's communicating. that creates  
safety for the part partner program and you can 
get in and you can make it happen. That's how you  
want to move forward today in my opinion. So 
by doing these things you're really going to  
safeguard yourself. You also want to include in 
your 90 to 2 minute video information about where  
you source your materials, how you create them, 
the licenses you have and so on. For example,  
music. I highly recommend you use music and sound 
effects. Like instead of thinking mass- prodduce,  
pump it out, slow down and create premium. You're 
more likely to not run into trouble. Fantastic.  
Instead of going mass production, slow down and 
then source your materials, your music, instead  
of using Sunno, which is we'll talk about that in 
a future video. Use a regular music subscription.  
So you hold the license and then in that 90 
secondond to 2 minute video you mentioned like all  
the video is created by me. Everything is created 
for the video specifically. I don't like reuse  
content again and again. I create it once I put 
it in my video. It's a unique viewing experience  
engineered by myself and then you add and you can 
add all the sources. I get the music here. I have  
a license here. I get I I had the scripts written 
in this particular manner. I I I the citations  
come from these websites and it makes it more 
authorative and it makes it safer for you. And  
then as I mentioned, you want to include your 
name in the channel and for goodness sakes,  
the more you're willing to put yourself in in 
your channel and in your videos, the better. Now,  
I honestly believe in a lot of cases it doesn't 
make sense to put yourself or create your own  
voice over because I think you probably could 
do better with the technology we have today when  
it comes to voiceovers if you do use a premium 
tool like 11 Labs or find the very best AI voice  
generator possible and use that. But what you do 
want to do is have the audacity to put yourself  
on camera and explain and make that video, that 
90 second to two minute video about how these  
videos are created and what I do to make these 
videos because that keeps you safe. You know,  
the channel name needs to reflect who you are and 
you you want to make that name real for people.  
How do you do that? Well, I can guarantee you if I 
see history with David, it doesn't mean anything.  
And I can't connect David to any real person 
because it doesn't exist. Like, here's the thing,  
gang. Like, this is Brian G. Johnson TV evolved. 
This is future creators. This is about a premium  
experience using premium tools. Uh so viewers 
they just they lay back and they dig while they  
watch the videos that we produce and it's a lot 
safer you know we can feel good about what we're  
creating and when we do that like putting a real 
name in the channel like I don't want to tell you  
the channel I'm going to create because I want 
to I want to show you that it's possible. I'm  
going to create this channel. I'll tell you about 
the different software apps I've been creating,  
all the things I'm doing to create this premium 
experience. If someone looks at my channel and  
they review it and they're like, "Oh, the channel 
name is this with Brian G. Johnson." I was going  
to say TV, but with Brian G. Johnson. Well, 
then they can look online. Is Brian G. Johnson  
a real person? Oh, he's got another YouTube 
channel that's monetized. He's got 160,000  
plus subscribers. He's been around a while. He's 
written a few books. Do you see what I'm saying?  
Now, you might think, well, I can't do that. 
That's not the point. The point, listen, like,  
you can do this. I didn't start being an author. 
I wrote a book, right? That doesn't mean you need  
to write a book. It means you need to establish a 
real personal brand. And you want to attach your  
real name to one maybe two channels to establish 
authority and human engineer. And when they look  
at and research your name, they're going to find 
what you've done. Or you could also like link to  
a channel you already have when you where you are 
on camera. You see what I'm saying? It's like I I  
know this kind of is not the faceless channel 
blueprint that is so lucrative, not lucrative,  
that is so appealing because you're autonomous. 
You're anonymous. That's the word, anonymous. But  
it's the direction that keeps us safe. And for 
me personally, like this is what I'm excited to  
teach. I'm going to be honest. I was freaking out 
for days. I've been working on software trying to  
figure out like researching video generation cling 
and VO vo 3.1 all the technologies dialing in my  
voice over for months not months weeks because I 
already knew that it's just a smart way to build  
but now it's like of course that's what you have 
to do you know when I started my my journey I I  
knew knew I had to have something that was highly 
unique and different. So when you go to 11 Labs,  
you don't choose a voice that's made because you 
can be done and you're lazy. You spend a day and  
you craft a great voice that is unique to you 
and you're the only one that can use it and you  
only use it on your one specific channel. That's 
it. Another thing you could do is you might want  
to also include your face in the channel art. I 
think this is just a really smart thing to do. It  
separates you. Especially like the more I think 
about this, the more I just feel better, right?  
Because like like look, I don't have anything to 
hide. I'm creating something that's unique. And as  
I say this, I just want to step back and say this. 
If you're an AI creator and you lost monetization,  
this is the path forward. These are the steps 
to take to safeguard yourself. This is how you  
produce videos in the future. This is how you 
update your channel art right now to separate  
yourself. You make the video I'm describing. You 
do all these things and you have something that  
you can feel good about. Like because yesterday 
I didn't feel good. Like literally for the last  
month since I made the last Brian G. Johnson 
TV video. I have been hard at work researching,  
figuring out, and I know it's been a little 
bit of a too long of a break from that video,  
but I just I can only go as fast as I go. And I'm 
not going to come here and just spew stuff based  
on just research. I have to be in it, doing 
it, figuring it out, and taking steps to move  
forward. And when I'm doing that, then I'll come 
here and I'll report back. So that's that's where  
I've been. And you know, I was really freaking out 
like building this software for a month that would  
allow me to really create unique and different 
scripts. Not because I'm trying to game YouTube,  
but because it just makes sense. So, you know, 
these are the things I'm thinking about. And  
honestly, you know, YouTube is a nerve-wracking 
game. Being an entrepreneur, scary. stepping  
out and doing things in the face of fear hard and 
I've been in a lot of fear and it's just because  
I didn't have the path figured out, you know, 
but I kept showing up. I kept asking AI specific  
questions to guide me through this process and 
now I feel great because it makes sense to me.  
It didn't make sense before because I didn't fig 
I didn't have it all figured out. How to make  
sure and this is the point that is most important. 
How do I make sure I build a channel so when the  
person reviewing my channel has to run into the 
fact that this is me, this is what the channel is  
about and it's unique and different. If you don't 
have that figured out, don't create an AIdriven  
uh channel in 2026. I don't think it makes sense. 
But if you follow this blueprint, I feel like you  
should feel safe because there's nothing, you 
know, sneaky that you're doing. You're just  
trying to create the very best viewing experience 
uh possible. Another thing you want to do is you  
want to build out your videos, your documentaries, 
your story in the unique way I just described.  
You know, I didn't I don't want to start a video 
about Caesar like AI is going to write the story.  
you know, they're it's just going to go straight 
to how how things ended unless you're very  
specific and you do research to identify what 
made Caesar unique, why, what was the timeline,  
when did he cross the line, when things went from 
they loved him till they hated him till they they  
felt like they had to kill him incredible. Like, 
that's what you want to figure out and use AI to  
do that. Who wouldn't? It would be ridiculous not 
to, but do it in a smart, ethical way and you'll  
be fine. So, when you do that, like that's how you 
script. Create a system where you're not using a  
template system. This is something that YouTube 
talks about. If it looks like every video follows  
the same exact template, you're in trouble. But 
if you create stories that are very unique to the  
individuals, the people, what happened, Chernobyl, 
for example, another story I would love to tell,  
and it's so funny because it's like I already knew 
this. I don't want to tell the same story that I  
was so fascinated by when I watched the YouTube 
uh YouTube when I watched the HBO Max series  
Chernobyl. I want to create something unique and 
different. I want to tell the story through a  
unique lens that makes the viewing experience 
one recognizable. This is what they came for.  
But did you know this? This is the real story. 
Like like Caesar is fascinating. People think,  
you know, Caesar was a politician. He was not. He 
was a general. And what happened was the system  
was broken. He figured out like how to leverage 
the system and he he grew too powerful and you  
know when does the story transition like the more 
you can really focus and slow down and make great  
videos the better off you're going to do. And 
if this sounds like it's hard work it is. And  
you know a little bit of effort will go so long 
in the future. You know, these are the things  
you you simply want to do and then when you go to 
monetize, you're going to be safe. Here are a few  
thoughts. Do not mass-produce and just pump out 
videos. Do not do the stories. Uh you have AI read  
stories from Reddit. You will not get in no matter 
what you do because it's lazy and anybody could  
create that experience. Think about this. If your 
channel doesn't stand out on its own and if it  
looks like every other channel, you're in trouble. 
That's why your full name and the and the channel  
direction, you know, history documentaries with 
your full name or stories with your full name,  
your channel art with your picture, the video 
you submit as to not submit but the video you  
create and publish to the channel based on how I 
make these videos. Boom. Good to go. And then you  
make sure the reviewer has to see that. You put 
it in all the places, video description, com pin,  
a comment, um, all the things, and in the about 
section, and you're going to be absolutely good  
to go. Here's a no-brainer. You have to click the 
box like, yes, this is AI synthesized video. When  
you upload, there's a process. Check the box. It's 
good practice. You got to play by the rules. So,  
there you have it, gang. It's good to make this 
video. Um, it's been a little bit challenging over  
the last month since I made the last video, but 
we're moving forward. I feel great about AI, and  
there's all kinds of ways to use AI. And that's 
it. Welcome to the new channel, Future Creators  
with Brian G. Johnson. I'll see you on the next 
one. You dig? Peace, power, progress, poodles.