From Edie: Samantha Tschritter shares YouTube's latest AI policies and discover how writers can avoid demonetization, channel strikes, and common AI mistakes while using artificial intelligence ethically to grow their channels.
YouTube for Writers, Part 11: YouTube's AI Crackdown—How to Avoid Demonetization, Channel Strikes, and Common AI Pitfalls
by Samantha Tschritter @SETschritter
You’ve heard this. You know. Writing industry professionals are cracking down on the use of AI. Literary agents discard cover letters and proposals if they recognize artificial intelligence diction. Many bookstores are shying away from book covers obviously created with AI. If an author uses AI to write a magazine article, that author will not be invited to share future content.
Why? Hopefully this goes without saying—creative work worthy of publication should require, well, creativity, rather than an “Enter” or “Return” on a keypad. This passion to honor authentic, rather than artificial, work has revealed a modern-day renaissance movement within the arts. In a digitized world that connects the entire globe with a few fingertip strokes, there is a profound beauty in handcrafted work, no matter the medium. Whether acrylics, architecture, or even agriculture, what we design with our hands is an offering to God.
A lesser well-known understanding is this: work created with AI is not copyrightable. The generated work does not actually belong to the “creator.”
And now authors need to be wary of book reviewers who charge for book reviews they “write” using AI without ever reading the book.
In the world of video creation, Youtube is also cracking down on the use of AI. What exactly are they looking for?
Youtube realized that many creator channels used repetitive content to deceive viewers and artificially bolster watchtime hours and views. Administrators detected key similarities that most of the spam videos shared. The bad news is that sometimes original, quality content may share certain spam characteristics.
Youtube has removed millions of Youtube channels due to spam content. From January 2026-March 2026, Youtube removed 2,183,919 channels. This is a three-strike-and-you’re-out rule. If three community guidelines are violated within ninety days, a channel and all of its videos will be deleted.
The good news is that Youtube shared exactly which red flags trigger suspicion of AI and there are simple tricks to avoid demonetization or channel deletion.
If you are posting Youtube videos, here are the three major video characteristics to avoid to prevent demonetization or channel deletion.
1. Using the exact same title for every single video.
The work around: If you’re using your name for part of the video title, which I rarely recommend, place your name at the tail end of the video. For example,
NOT THIS:
- S.E. Tschritter Explains the Pitfalls of Using AI with Youtube. THIS
THIS:
- Learn the Pitfalls of Using AI on Youtube with S.E. Tschritter.
2. Using the exact same photo for the entirety of the video.
Heidi Gray McGill uses Youtube largely for her audio books. The entirety of her “video” is her book’s cover image and a pair of headphones.
- The work around: to avoid an AI ban, Heidi flips the image for each chapter. She also adds periodic stickers that say “subscribe” and “like.”
3. Using the exact same thumbnail for multiple videos:
Many people use the exact same thumbnail image for branding, simplicity, and saving time. If this is you, here’s the work around:
- Change the HOOK TEXT on the image. If you’re using Canva, change the background color, or one or two minor details. Just make sure the thumbnail is not EXACTLY the same. (Psst) Pay attention to your video’s thumbnail title before uploading.
More Ways to Avoid Being Flagged for AI Use on Youtube:
- 1. Use Chapters: Using chapters grants opportunity to input more unique information about the video.
- 2. Purchase Tube Buddy: This amazing tool saves time and homes in on the perfect SEO-saturated titles and descriptions.
Now, having said all that, here are Three Things I Unabashedly Use AI for in Video Creation:
- Youtube video description
- SEO word optimization
- Enhanced thumbnails (I create a thumbnail and as Chat GPT to make it more appealing for Youtube viewers)
The Greatest Danger and Temptation of Using AI
The greatest danger of using AI is the manner in which we deceive our own hearts. Don’t get me wrong—I love a funny Chat GPT photo prompt. As shown above, there is a time and place to use AI as an effective tool. However, we must always proceed with caution to avoid slipping into a focus on earthly treasures rather than heavenly ones.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
I’ll be honest. Here are some things I want or have wanted:
- More money
- A traditional publishing contract
- More time for things we want
- Recognition
- Accolades
- Followers and subscribers
These motivations can covertly become our “earthly masters” or idols, and AI presents itself as the fast track to achieve our goals. No human knows the heart of our work better than us. If God were our audience for the Youtube video we create, the letter to the literary agency we write, or the book cover we produce, would he view our sacrifice more like Abel’s…or Cain’s?
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
We can’t hide our motivations from God or disguise them with holy prayers. (I know, I’ve tried.) Let the litmus test of the work we produce be Paul’s admonishment to God’s people in Colossae.
“ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).
Aren’t you glad that God didn’t use AI to create puffer fish and lilies and mountaintops? When we use our own God-given skills, we honor the God who gave us those abilities. The Master Artist gifted us our perspectives, unique experiences, and the colorful people in our lives who inspire the characters in our books. Our imaginations are the canvas God provided.
To learn more about avoiding the danger of getting your Youtube channel flagged for AI, watch Why YouTube Thinks Your Videos Are AI (And How Writers Can Fix It).
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Tschritter currently resides in Simpsonville, South Carolina with her husband, their three teen and preteen daughters, cats named Pitter and Patter, and their Siberian husky whom she lost the vote to name Onomatopoeia. Nothing refreshes Tschritter’s soul like gardening. She gardens to work through plot holes, writer’s block, character development, and book ideas. Tschritter spends a great deal of time gardening. You can find her on social media at Linktr.ee/LoveSamEvans.
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