How much does YouTube pay for AI videos?
Sources: YouTube partner earnings overview · Understand ad revenue analytics · YouTube Shorts monetization policies · Disclosing use of GenAI content.
The shares YouTube publishes
| Format | What YouTube says it pays | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Long-form (watch page ads) | 55% of net revenues from ads on your public videos | Partner earnings overview |
| Shorts (Creator Pool) | 45% of the revenue allocated to you, by share of engaged views | Partner earnings overview, Shorts policies |
| YouTube Premium | Listed as a revenue source; no percentage on the page | Partner earnings overview |
The earnings page adds that there are “no guarantees” about how much or whether you will be paid (checked November 14, 2026).
RPM: the number to watch
YouTube defines Revenue Per Mille as “how much money you've earned per 1,000 video views”, after YouTube's share, and counts ads, channel memberships and Premium revenue in it. CPM is different: it is the advertiser's cost per 1,000 ad impressions before YouTube's share (Understand ad revenue analytics).
RPM figures you find online are other channels' Studio numbers. They vary with audience, country and format, and none of them is published by YouTube, so this page does not quote one.
Is an AI video paid less?
Nothing in the pages above sets a different share for AI-made videos. The disclosure page goes further: labelling realistic AI content “won't limit a video's audience or impact its eligibility to earn money” (Disclosing use of GenAI content).
What decides whether an AI video earns at all is the monetization policy: content that is mass-produced, generic or repetitive is not allowed to earn, whatever made it (YouTube channel monetization policies). More: Does YouTube monetize AI-generated videos?.
Before any of this: the threshold
None of these shares apply until the channel is in the Partner Program: 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months, or 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days (YouTube Partner Program overview). Is YouTube automation worth it? works through the numbers.
The other side of the sum: what a video costs
Revenue is half the calculation. In SceneMixer a 60-second episode on the default tier is about 660 credits including compositing (about $4.11 at the lowest per-credit price on the pricing page). Compare that with your RPM once you have one.
- Free to start: 15 setup images on an account, episode one's storyboard on your first drama, and a 5-second free preview.
- The corner badge. Free accounts' videos carry a small SceneMixer AIGC badge in the bottom-right corner; on a paid membership it is off by default and you can switch it back on. The AI badge switch.
Make it in SceneMixer, start to finish
- Script: paste your own on Upload Script, or write the brief above in AI Create and let it draft the episodes.
- Step 1: Type TV Series; Scene Style Urban Opulence; Costume Style Smart Casual; Visual Style Digital HD; Target Region; dialogue language; 16:9 Landscape. Then read the script.
- Step 2: Keep each episode a complete story; long-form watch pages pay a different share from Shorts. The first 15 setup images on an account are free.
- Storyboard: generate episode 1 first (free on your first drama) and read it before you render anything. One place per segment.
- Video: render on the default tier at 10 credits a second, fix single shots instead of whole episodes, then put the episode together and post.
| Source | What it says (short) | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube partner earnings overview | 55% long-form; 45% allocated Shorts revenue; no guarantees | November 14, 2026 |
| Understand ad revenue analytics | RPM = earnings per 1,000 views after YouTube's share; CPM before | November 14, 2026 |
| Disclosing use of GenAI content | Disclosure alone does not affect eligibility to earn | November 14, 2026 |
| YouTube Partner Program overview | Threshold before any ad revenue | November 14, 2026 |
FAQ
How much does YouTube pay for 1,000 views of an AI video?
YouTube does not publish a per-view rate for any video. Your RPM in YouTube Studio shows what you earned per 1,000 views after YouTube's share. What a SceneMixer episode costs to make is on its pricing page, so you can set it against your RPM.
Does YouTube pay less for AI videos?
None of the YouTube pages we quote sets a different share for AI videos, and the disclosure page says labelling alone does not affect eligibility to earn.
What percentage does YouTube pay creators?
55% of net ad revenue on long-form watch pages and 45% of the Shorts revenue allocated to you, according to YouTube's partner earnings overview.
What is the difference between RPM and CPM?
CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions before YouTube's share. RPM is what you earn per 1,000 views after it, including memberships and Premium.
Do AI Shorts get paid?
Shorts in the Partner Program share in the Creator Pool by engaged views. From February 2027 that needs 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days.
Why do numbers online differ so much?
They are individual channels' Studio figures, which vary with audience, country and format. YouTube itself publishes shares, not rates.
Know your cost per episode
Render a free preview of your own scene, then price a full episode.
Updated November 14, 2026