Monster cats? Gnarly Minions? AI-generated cartoon gore floods YouTube

A new wave of disturbing AI-generated cartoons is infiltrating YouTube‘s children’s content ecosystem, echoing the infamous 2017 Elsagate scandal. This investigation reveals dozens of channels using generative AI to create violent, grotesque, and inappropriate animations featuring popular characters like Minions and cartoon cats, raising alarms about content moderation failures and the potential psychological impact on young viewers.

The big picture: YouTube is facing a resurgence of inappropriate children’s content, this time powered by generative AI tools that make it easier to produce disturbing videos at scale.

• One channel called “Go Cat” markets itself as “fun and exciting” for kids while featuring animations depicting monstrous transformations, body horror, and predatory scenarios.
• These AI-generated videos have amassed millions of views despite containing content that experts describe as inappropriate and potentially harmful for children.

Echoes of the past: The current wave of AI-generated disturbing content strongly resembles the 2017 Elsagate phenomenon, when YouTube was flooded with videos showing beloved children’s characters in violent and sexual situations.

• The key difference today is that generative AI allows creators to produce this problematic content more efficiently and at greater volume than was possible six years ago.
• The algorithmic nature of both YouTube’s recommendation system and these AI generators creates a troubling feedback loop that can amplify disturbing content.

What they’re saying: Child safety experts express significant concern about these AI-generated videos reaching young audiences.

• “We are deeply concerned about the proliferation of AI-generated content that appears to target kids and contains deeply inappropriate material,” said Robbie Torney of Common Sense Media.
• Torney emphasized that “The rapid evolution of AI technology demands that all stakeholders—platforms, content creators, parents, and organizations like ours—work together to ensure kids’ exposure to online video content is safe and positive.”

Why this matters: The combination of AI generation tools, algorithmic recommendation systems, and insufficient content moderation creates new challenges for protecting children online.

• These videos often bypass YouTube’s automated moderation systems by using characters that appeal to children while incorporating disturbing elements that may not be easily detected by AI filters.
• The scale and speed at which these videos can be produced makes traditional content moderation approaches increasingly ineffective.

The bigger challenge: This issue highlights the growing tension between the rapid advancement of generative AI capabilities and the slower evolution of effective content governance frameworks.

• Platform policies and moderation tools designed for human-created content struggle to keep pace with the unique characteristics and volume of AI-generated material.
• Without more sophisticated detection systems and clearer policies specifically addressing AI content, similar problems may continue to emerge across digital platforms.