“Scary times…” Why the world’s biggest YouTuber MrBeast thinks AI could change everything for creators

MrBeast

YouTube’s biggest star, MrBeast, has joined the growing list of creators uneasy about the rise of artificial intelligence in content creation. Despite experimenting with AI tools himself, the 26-year-old creator, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, admitted this week that he’s “worried” about how the technology could impact millions of people who make a living online. “Scary times,” he wrote in a social media post that quickly went viral.

MrBeast isn’t just any YouTuber,  he tops Forbes’ 2025 list of creators with an estimated $85 million in annual earnings and more than 634 million followers across platforms. When someone with that level of influence raises concerns about AI replacing human creativity, people take notice.

His comments came shortly after OpenAI launched Sora 2, a new version of its powerful AI video generator. Alongside it, the company released a mobile app that lets users create AI videos of themselves, which can be shared in a TikTok-style vertical feed. The app has already shot to the top of the US App Store, signaling just how quickly AI video generation is catching on.

YouTube, too, has been leaning into AI. The platform recently rolled out editing tools that can animate still photos or transform video styles using AI models like Veo. It’s also using artificial intelligence to automatically generate clips and highlights from livestreams and podcasts, and even help creators manage their channels through an AI chatbot inside YouTube Studio.

Interestingly, MrBeast has previously experimented with AI as well. Earlier this year, he faced criticism after his analytics platform, Viewstats, launched an AI tool to generate video thumbnails. Following backlash from artists and fans, he removed the feature and replaced it with links to hire human designers instead.

The larger debate, however, is still unresolved. Will AI empower everyone to become a “creator,” or will it flood social media with low-quality, machine-made content? Some creators already dismiss AI-generated videos as “slop,” while others fear that audiences may lose trust if influencers secretly use AI without disclosing it.

For now, MrBeast’s warning captures a growing unease in the creator community: as AI tools become faster and more lifelike, they could either redefine creativity or quietly replace it.