Inside the Rise of AI-Generated YouTubers (GOOGL) | Markets Insider
One of YouTube’s (GOOGL) most popular new creators isn’t even human, according to CNBC. Bloo, a bright blue animated character with 2.5 million subscribers and over 700 million views, is powered by artificial intelligence. Created by longtime YouTuber Jordi van den Bussche, also known as Kwebbelkop, Bloo plays games like Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto. Van den Bussche came up with the idea after feeling burned out and unable to keep up with the pressure of content creation. Instead of using a real person or photorealistic avatar, he chose a fun, cartoon-like character. While Bloo’s voice and movements are controlled by a person using motion capture, everything else is handled by AI tools.
In fact, AI tools are advancing quickly. One startup, Hedra, raised $32 million to develop its Character-3 platform, which lets creators build AI-powered animated figures that speak and move in real time. Creators like comedian Jon Lajoie and virtual singer Milla Sofia are already using Character-3 to produce viral content. Google has also entered the space with Veo 3, which is an AI video generator that was trained on YouTube clips, although this led to worries about how AI might use creators’ content without their permission.
Nevertheless, a growing number of creators are making “faceless” YouTube channels using only AI. One such creator, known as GoldenHand, runs up to 80 channels and releases around 80 videos a day, mostly aimed at older viewers. His process involves coming up with a story idea and letting AI handle the rest: images, voiceovers, subtitles, and editing. He even launched a service called TubeChef that helps others do the same for as little as $18 a month. While critics worry about low-quality “AI slop” flooding the internet, others argue this content simply meets audience demand.
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on GOOGL stock based on 29 Buys and nine Holds assigned in the past three months. Furthermore, the average GOOGL price target of $199.77 per share implies 12% upside potential from current levels.
