'Brainrot Content' Is Printing Money: Indian AI YouTube Channel 'Bandar Apna Dost' Earns $4.5 Million A Year

A recent analysis examining the rise of so-called “AI slop” and brainrot content on YouTube has revealed that the platform’s most-watched AI-only channel operates out of India, reportedly generating millions in yearly revenue. According to the findings, the channel has amassed over 2 billion views and earns an estimated $4.25 million annually, despite relying entirely on AI-generated videos.The research was carried out by video-editing platform Kapwing, which reviewed 15,000 of the most-followed YouTube channels worldwide. Of these, 278 were found to be fully composed of AI-generated content. The study also examined the top 100 channels across every country to identify broader trends.So, which Indian channel topped the list?Kapwing’s report identified

Bandar Apna Dost as the most-viewed AI slop channel globally.The channel’s bio describes its concept as: “Welcome to ‘Bandar Apna Dost’ – a unique blend of fun, emotion, and ultra-realistic storytelling through the life of Boltu Bandar! Here, you’ll find short cinematic video featuring a realistic monkey in hilarious, dramatic, and heart-touching human-style situations.”At the time the report was published, the channel had over 2.77 million subscribers and had uploaded 619 videos. Kapwing estimates that the channel’s “estimated annual earnings of $4,251,500.”

https://youtu.be/xOulLglFhQU?si=766DONCvsvjHbzTl

The revelations quickly sparked discussion on social media, with users reacting to the scale and profitability of AI-driven content. One person wrote, “The average dude wakes up in the morning and goes to work for a measly $50,000 per year when they could just be living in India and making AI slop videos.” Another commented, “AI Slop is only going to get worse before it gets better, as more people mess around with these tools.”As part of its research, Kapwing also launched a new YouTube account to monitor how frequently AI-generated and brainrot videos appear in user feeds. Reviewing the first 500 videos served by the algorithm, the company found that “a total of 104 (21%) of the first 500 videos were AI-generated, and 165 (33%) of those 500 videos were brainrot.''