Once upon a time, children’s YouTube was like Peppa Pig solved the Lament Configuration. Once that kid sneaks away with their parent’s tablet, the algorithm is unable to parse a child’s nonsense, basically placing a bounty on any account willing to bury Spider-Man’s head in the sand or force Elsa into the dentist’s chair. Now, Google seems eager to restart the nightmare machine all over again, investing in a company that specifically seeks to subject cartoon IPs to AI torture.
According to Bloomberg, Google has invested $1 million into Animaj, an AI-focused animation studio for younger audiences. While not a ton of money in the grand scheme of venture capital, it is the first kids’ studio to receive direct funding from YouTube. Additionally, Google is also onboarding Animaj into their DeepMind program, as well as early access to Veo, their video generator.
“Google knows the problem and the issue of AI slop,” says Animaj co-founder Sixte de Vauplane, referencing one of the no-no terms in the AI world. “They know that right now, you don’t have a lot of people and a lot of players in the kids media industry that have really proven their ability to use AI in a very good way.”
It’s an open secret that YouTube has become something of an automated babysitter in many households. It took over a decade to temper down the more surreal and predatory aspects of what kids are exposing themselves to on the platform, not to mention a $170 million suit from the FTC over privacy concerns. CoComelon, Blippi, and Ms. Rachel are close enough to a normal kid’s entertainment environment online compared to the Minion red rooms that predate them.
Even if Facebook and TikTok remain the kingdoms of AI slop, AI-generated videos have proliferated on YouTube just as they have across all major platforms. It’s inevitably going to be a source of soreness for the company. As Google seeks to embrace AI-generated material as a whole, YouTube is forced to referee anyone who wants to take intellectual properties for a spin or throw in the towel on misinformation campaigns.