MrBeast said he has pulled an AI tool to make thumbnails for YouTube videos that he offered through his ViewStats Pro service for creators after a backlash about the potential impact on working artists.
“I thought people were going to be pretty excited about it, but I definitely missed the mark,” MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, said in a video posted to his social media.
Now, he said the AI tool has been replaced by something that directs people to the portfolios of real thumbnail artists so they can be commissioned instead.
MrBeast said it was “turning this negative situation into something positive that helps artists generate more income doing what they love”.
“I care more than any of you could ever imagine about the YouTube community,” MrBeast said, noting that he is the world’s biggest YouTuber and “I don’t take that responsibility lightly”.
“It deeply makes me sad when I do something that, you know, people in the community are upset by,” he said.
“With ViewStats, my goal here is to build tools that help creators and if creators don’t want the tools, no worries. It’s not that big of a deal.
“I also want to put out there: I guarantee you, I have spent more money on thumbnail artists than any other YouTuber in the world. I’ve probably spent more money on thumbnail artists than the top 100 creators combined.
“I have a small army of thumbnail artists that work for me. I’m looking to hire more thumbnail artists.”
Hey! Thanks for all your feedback on the ViewStats AI thumbnail tool, we pulled it and added a funnel for creators to find real thumbnail artists to commission pic.twitter.com/ICrB8NFyuC
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) June 27, 2025
This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
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