Love this piece, Andy—sharp and incredibly insightful. The through-line between AI acceleration, shifting formats, and platform power really lands.
On YouTube, though, I don’t see this as an AI story so much as a platform power story. The click-through T&Cs have always given YouTube broad rights over creator content—but now they’re leaning harder into those rights and showing it. The auto-edited Shorts tests make that clear: the platform decides what gets trimmed, highlighted, or repackaged to serve engagement models, often without meaningful creator input.
That’s not about summarization—it’s about whose version of the work gets prioritized. Platforms have always had this control; what’s new is how openly they’re exercising it.
Totally agree, Darren that this is a platform power story at its core. The part that interests me is how AI is becoming the operational layer that makes that power easier to wield. The tech isn’t the point but it is how it lets platforms exert control at scale.
An you’re also right that YouTube’s T&Cs have always leaned in this direction, but the difference now is tempo. These edits are happening automatically at the speed of the feed and in ways most creators might not even realize.
So it’s less about whether they can and more about how invisibly they do.
Thanks for the thoughtful read, I really appreciate your lens on this!
The analysis is notable for how it connects the panic in Silicon Valley, Netflix's guidelines, and YouTube's moves. The perception that the "algorithm acts as an editor" and redefines content creation is a central point.
The argument that "who defines the format, defines the agency" is a concise and insightful summary of the ongoing shift. The way the article connects these points shows a deep understanding of the situation.
Love this piece, Andy—sharp and incredibly insightful. The through-line between AI acceleration, shifting formats, and platform power really lands.
On YouTube, though, I don’t see this as an AI story so much as a platform power story. The click-through T&Cs have always given YouTube broad rights over creator content—but now they’re leaning harder into those rights and showing it. The auto-edited Shorts tests make that clear: the platform decides what gets trimmed, highlighted, or repackaged to serve engagement models, often without meaningful creator input.
That’s not about summarization—it’s about whose version of the work gets prioritized. Platforms have always had this control; what’s new is how openly they’re exercising it.
The automation almost provides cover, AI is this amorphous thing, like the algorithm.
Totally agree, Darren that this is a platform power story at its core. The part that interests me is how AI is becoming the operational layer that makes that power easier to wield. The tech isn’t the point but it is how it lets platforms exert control at scale.
An you’re also right that YouTube’s T&Cs have always leaned in this direction, but the difference now is tempo. These edits are happening automatically at the speed of the feed and in ways most creators might not even realize.
So it’s less about whether they can and more about how invisibly they do.
Thanks for the thoughtful read, I really appreciate your lens on this!
The analysis is notable for how it connects the panic in Silicon Valley, Netflix's guidelines, and YouTube's moves. The perception that the "algorithm acts as an editor" and redefines content creation is a central point.
The argument that "who defines the format, defines the agency" is a concise and insightful summary of the ongoing shift. The way the article connects these points shows a deep understanding of the situation.