Will AI and Repetitive Content Ban Make It Harder to Make Money on YouTube? What You Need to Know.
A huge shift is about to hit the YouTube creator landscape — and for many Cambodian YouTubers hoping to turn their passion into income, this could be a turning point. According to Gulf News, Starting July 15, 2025, YouTube is rolling out stricter monetisation rules, explicitly cracking down on mass-produced, repetitive, and low-effort AI-generated content.
This isn’t just another small policy tweak. It’s a direct message from YouTube to creators everywhere, including those in Cambodia: originality, authenticity, and real human creativity are now more critical than ever.
So what exactly is changing? Why is YouTube doing this now? And most importantly, how can Cambodian content creators prepare so they don’t lose their hard-earned ad revenue? Let’s break it down in simple terms.
Why is YouTube tightening monetisation rules now?
For years, YouTube has struggled with balancing the vast amount of content uploaded every minute with the quality standards that keep viewers (and advertisers) happy. In Cambodia, where more and more people — from students in Phnom Penh to farmers in Battambang — are jumping onto YouTube hoping to earn some extra income, the lure of quick, automated content has grown strong.
YouTube’s new move is a reaction to the explosion of:
- Copy-paste videos that simply reuse someone else’s content with minor tweaks (like adding background music or speeding it up).
- AI-generated “spam” that floods feeds with robotic voices or slideshows, lacking any personal touch.
- Shorts and templated clips that repeat the same style or format without providing new value.
YouTube said that while original, authentic content has always been the standard for joining and staying in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), these new guidelines are meant to tackle what ‘inauthentic’ looks like today.
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It’s also a move to protect advertiser trust. Businesses want their ads appearing next to meaningful, quality videos — not next to low-effort, repetitive spam.
What exactly is changing?
Here’s a clearer look at what YouTube will be watching out for starting July 15:
1. Minimal edits to other people’s content
If you’re just downloading other creators’ clips, cropping them slightly, or adding background music — that’s not enough anymore. You’ll need to transform the content in a meaningful way.
2. Highly repetitive content
Channels that upload very similar videos over and over, especially in Shorts, or follow rigid templates just to grab views, will be under scrutiny. YouTube wants videos that serve a clear purpose — to entertain, educate, or inspire — not just fill up the algorithm.
3. Low-effort AI videos
This is huge. While AI itself is not banned, if your channel relies heavily on AI voices, avatars, or scripts without much human involvement, it risks losing monetisation. In Cambodia, where many startups or young creators experiment with AI voiceovers or text-to-video tools, this will mean a rethink.
4. Clickbait or spam-like uploads
Channels that promise something in the thumbnail or title but deliver almost nothing of substance will also be flagged. This includes misleading reaction channels or “faceless” videos that give little commentary or insight.
Who will be most affected?
Not every Cambodian creator needs to worry. If you’re putting real effort, your own thoughts, personality, and creative editing into your videos, this could actually help you, because it means less competition from low-quality mass uploads.
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However, these groups will be hit hardest:
- Content aggregators: Channels that simply collect funny clips, TikToks, or Facebook videos with barely any changes.
- Automated AI channels: If you’re producing dozens of videos with robotic narration and generic visuals each week, prepare for a shake-up.
- Faceless reaction or slideshow channels: Without a strong human voice or commentary, these might fail YouTube’s authenticity checks.
- Templated spam: If your channel is stuffed with near-identical Shorts or “countdown” slideshows that add no new value.
What should Cambodian YouTubers do to prepare?
Whether you’re a university student in Siem Reap making reaction videos, a business owner in Phnom Penh using YouTube to promote products, or a teacher in Kampot sharing tutorials, here are practical ways to safeguard your channel:
Prioritise human input and personal style
- Use your own voice, face, and personality. It doesn’t have to be super polished; authenticity matters more than fancy cameras.
- If you’re shy, consider at least doing voice commentary or using a consistent style that clearly shows you made this.
Transform any reused content
- Don’t just replay other people’s clips. Pause, analyse, give opinions, teach something new, or weave it into a story.
- Example: Instead of reposting a trending TikTok, break it down — explain what makes it funny, share your reaction, or relate it to Cambodian culture.
Use AI wisely
- Let AI help with ideas or rough drafts, but put your own creative stamp on it.
- If you use AI voices, combine them with your own commentary or insights. Always be transparent.
Engage your viewers
- Respond to comments, do community posts, and build a loyal audience. YouTube notices channels that foster real engagement.
- Try making a series, like “Cooking Khmer food every Sunday” or “Weekly reviews of new phones in Cambodia.”
Review your old videos
- If you have older content that’s repetitive or borderline spam, consider making it private or improving it. This reduces the risk of YouTube demonetising your whole channel.
What will happen after July 15?
Starting from July 15, YouTube will begin actively scanning channels using AI systems plus human reviewers. They might:
- Demonetise individual videos that break the rules.
- Suspend your YPP membership, cutting off your ad revenue until you fix the problems.
- In extreme cases, terminate your channel if you repeatedly violate the policy.
Here’s Response to creator questions about YPP policies (July 2025)
Hi creators,
We’ve seen confusion around a minor YPP update coming July 15 and wanted to share more information and answer top questions we’ve seen.
What’s changing on July 15?
To be clear, we’re not introducing a new YPP policy. This is a minor update to our long-standing “repetitious content” guideline. We regularly update and evolve our policies based on the content on YouTube, and this update is to clarify that this policy includes content that is mass-produced or repetitive, which is content viewers often consider spam. This content has always been ineligible for monetization, as we’ve always required content to be original and authentic for YPP. We are also renaming this policy from “repetitious content” to “inauthentic content”. These guidelines apply regardless of how the content was made.
Does this relate to Reused Content?
There are no changes to our reused content policies which guide commentary, clips, compilation, and reaction content. This content can continue to monetize if you’ve added significant original commentary, modifications, or educational or entertainment value to the original video. Our monetization policies with more examples are shared in our Help Center here.
Will using AI in my content be a violation of “inauthentic content”?
We welcome creators using AI tools to enhance their storytelling, and channels that use AI in their content remain eligible to monetize. All channels must follow our monetization policies and creators are required to disclose when their realistic content is altered or synthetic. More info on how to disclose altered or synthetic content in our Help Center.
Can you give some examples of what is considered “mass-produced” content?
A few examples of “mass-produced” content may include:
- A channel that uploads narrated stories with only superficial differences between them
- A channel that uploads slideshows that all have the same narration
This list is not exhaustive, so be sure to continue to review your content against our monetization policies.
– Sarah (TeamYouTube)
Details
You will be able to appeal, but you’ll need to prove your content is genuinely original and adds value.
A special note for Cambodia’s growing YouTube scene
Cambodia’s YouTube space has boomed in the last few years. From local vloggers showing off village life, to small businesses running sales streams, to educators teaching English or tech, this new policy could actually be good news. It means genuine, hardworking creators have a better chance to stand out, while spam channels get cleared out.
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As long as your content highlights your personal or local stories, shows creativity, or helps people learn — you’ll likely thrive under these new rules.
In short…
✅ Be original.
✅ Add your unique voice.
✅ Use AI as a tool, not a replacement.
✅ Focus on real value and community.
🎥 So Cambodian creators, are you ready?
What are you most worried about with these new rules? Or do you think it will actually help your channel grow? Share your thoughts in the comments below — let’s help each other succeed on YouTube together!