MrBeast Faces Backlash for AI Thumbnail Generator

YouTube’s biggest creator, Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast), encountered community backlash after launching an AI thumbnail generator designed to replicate styles of other creators, leading to quick modifications.

Promoted in deleted videos, this $80/month AI tool was criticized for mimicking the visual styles, logos, and faces of YouTubers without consent. Concerns over originality and creative ownership were raised immediately.

Responding to the backlash, Donaldson, who has over 400 million YouTube subscribers, stated on X that his team has “pulled it and added a funnel for creators to find real thumbnail artists to commission.”

The reversal followed significant backlash, including from creators like Jacksepticeye, who noticed their logos being used without permission. “What the actual fuck… and he used my logo in the promotion for it too,” Jacksepticeye commented on X.

Donaldson co-founded ViewStats in late 2023 with Chucky Appleby, linked to Juice, the creator tools startup. Despite limited face-swap features for creators using their own images, the tool remains available on ViewStats, despite removed promotional posts.

The Calculator Moment

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions in content creation regarding AI. While some argue it democratizes access, critics worry about its effect on creativity and intellectual property. Renz Chong from Sovrun noted, “It’s the calculator moment all over again: what starts as controversial eventually becomes common practice.”

Chong emphasized the need for systems protecting creators as imitation becomes routine, advocating for attribution in AI tools, allowing creators to monetize their aesthetics and work.

“We need to build an ecosystem where creativity remains visible, consent-driven, and fairly rewarded,” he stressed.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair