Many YouTubers Sell Unused Video Footage to AI Companies

Many YouTubers and other digital content creators are selling their unused video footage to artificial intelligence (AI) companies looking for exclusive videos to better train their AI algorithms, often earning thousands of dollars per transaction (Bloomberg News cited industry sources on Friday).

Many YouTubers Sell Unused Video Footage to AI Companies Picture 1

'OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.'s Google, AI media company Moonvalley, and several other AI companies are collectively paying hundreds of content creators for access to their unpublished videos ,' the report said. 'That content, which has not been posted anywhere else online, is considered valuable for training artificial intelligence systems because it is unique . '

AI companies currently pay between $1 and $4 per minute of footage, with prices increasing depending on the quality or format of the video. For example, video shot in 4K costs more, as does nontraditional footage like drone footage or 3D animation, the report said.

The report also added that most of the footage, such as unused videos created for networks like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, is being sold for between $1 and $2 per minute.

Samuel Daniel

Update 11 January 2025