China and YouTube Crack Down on AI-Generated Video Content

China's National Broadcasting and Television Administration ordered the removal of roughly 8,000 AI‑altered videos from the state‑run CCTV platform, citing “distorting, parodying, or obscenely depicting” classic films, dramas and historic works. The regulator instructed major online audiovisual services to intensify daily monitoring, eliminate content that grossly misrepresents cultural heritage, includes graphic violence, or skews historical understanding, with stricter rules taking effect from late 2024 and reinforced in March 2025.

At the same time, YouTube announced the deletion of thousands of channels that produced AI‑generated videos, which together had generated 4.7 billion views before removal. The platform said the purge was driven by concerns over advertiser safety and the erosion of the creator economy, noting that algorithmic promotion had amplified low‑quality automated content, jeopardising revenue, brand safety and viewer trust.