On 6 October 2025, Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, warned that OpenAI’s Sora 2 video generator signalled “scary times” for the creative industry. According to Forbes’ 2025 ranking, MrBeast is the world’s top YouTube creator with US$85 million in annual revenue and 634 million followers, giving his warning particular weight. He expressed concern that AI-generated videos could soon rival human-produced content, undermining the livelihoods of creators worldwide.
Sora 2’s immediate rise to the top of the US App Store highlighted the explosive popularity of AI video tools. MrBeast stressed that platforms such as YouTube could be fundamentally reshaped if AI-driven content floods their ecosystems. His personal experience reinforced his caution: earlier this year, he launched an AI-powered thumbnail generator, which had to be withdrawn after criticism over poor quality.
The key lesson is that AI’s expansion poses both quality and economic risks. With creators commanding audiences in the hundreds of millions and generating annual revenues in the tens of millions, their business models are directly at stake if AI-generated content captures significant viewer attention. In the long run, tools such as Sora 2 may drive a profound transformation of the entire creative economy.
Sources:
1.
Joe Wilkins
2.
Sarah Perez
3.
Sasha Rogelberg
