TOGETHER WITH

It’s Tuesday and if you aren’t already using ChatGPT as an editor, therapist, and thesaurus, OpenAI hopes you’ll be interested in the bot’s newest role: online shopping assistant.

Today’s News

YOUTUBE LABS

Want to test YouTube’s AI tools? Enter the lab.

The lab: YouTube is giving users a fresh way to experience new test features without shelling out for Premium. By signing up as a YouTube Labs test subject, non-paying users can try out the “latest AI experiments and prototypes” coming down the YouTube pipeline. First up: an AI DJ for YouTube Music.

If you’ve ever used Spotify’s disembodied DJ, YouTube Labs’ new tool should be relatively familiar, since it’s similarly designed to add more personality to playlists without disrupting the streaming experience.

Signups for Labs can be found on YouTube’s /new page, which the platform uses to update its community about the features it is currently testing.

The context: As YouTube continues to double-down on AI, the platform has applied Google’s Gemini large language model across its various services (with use cases ranging from age verification to creative inspiration to language dubbing).

That AI-driven approach isn’t without its critics. Creator complaints have centered around both the rise of AI slop—a problem that triggered YouTube to update its rules to promote original uploads—and concerns that their videos have been scraped for training without consent.

In one notable incident, YouTube was caught using AI to tweak Shorts videos after they went live. That action wasn’t inconsistent with YouTube’s policies, but it showed the need for clearer communication when it comes to the introduction of generative AI updates—and that’s where YouTube Labs comes in. By letting users take upcoming AI-powered features for test drives, YouTube is providing more transparency regarding the changes it makes to its platform.

🌟 SPONSORED 🌟

The BrandStorytelling Summit will make its international debut at MIPCOM CANNES 2025

Every October, MIPCOM CANNES becomes the epicentre of the global content industry. As the largest television and streaming content market in the world, MIPCOM reflects the reshaping of the media landscape—and this year, the creator economy is at the center of that evolution.

Enter the BrandStorytelling Summit.

After a decade of elevating pioneering voices at Sundance Film Festival, the BrandStorytelling Summit will make its international debut at the 2025 edition of MIPCOM.

Leading figures from Banijay Entertainment, BBC Storyworks, Blink49 Studios, Dentsu, Digitas, Forbes, Indeed, Toys “R” Us, and more will take the stage, unveiling brand-led stories through innovative showcases and case studies.

From October 13-15, media execs and creators from 100+ countries will gather at MIPCOM to launch, screen, distribute, co-produce, acquire, and commission programming across every genre. Will you be there?

Passes are available now. Visit the website to secure your spot:

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Can your YouTube channel survive a hardcore pivot? Dzung Lewis’s did—and now she’s telling other creators how she pulled it off. (Tubefilter - Partner Story)
  
  

• MrBeast snagged three million new YouTube subs during the week of September 28, bringing his primary channel to a grand total of 441 million subscribers. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• OpenAI reportedly plans to launch a standalone Sora 2 platform that will feature a TikTok-style feed dedicated to AI-generated videos. (Gizmodo)
  
  

• Meta says its latest slate of Facebook features—which includes fan challenges and custom top fan badges—is designed to make “fandom on Facebook even more fun.” (Meta)

GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top Sponsored Videos: MrBeast and the candy biz

MrBeast is once again at the top of Gospel Stats’ weekly ranking of top-viewed branded YouTube videos—and this time, he’s claimed spots at #1 and #2. The star creator’s Feastables brand isn’t the only candy company climbing the charts, either; further down the rankings, a New York-based family-owned shop is whipping up its own sweet success.

🥇 #1. MrBeast 2 x Feastables: Making MrBeast a Feastables Milkshake (55.8M views)
This is the third week straight that MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) and Feastables are at the top of Gospel’s weekly ranking—but unlike most other videos uploaded to MrBeast’s various channels, this one doesn’t actually feature him as the frontman. In his place, the creator’s longtime friend/cast member Nolan Hansen took over to mix up a shake using Feastables milk.

🥈 #2. MrBeast Gaming x Lenovo: Survive 1000 Days, Win $100,000 (33.6M views)
Donaldson’s second chart-topping video is more typical MrBeast fare. The clip—which was sponsored by tech company Lenovo—is the latest in a series of videos where MrBeast pits gamers against one another in (digital) feats of survival for (very real) cash prizes.

🎰 #513. Hercules Candy x Surfshark VPN: These Are Incomprehensibly Good! (37.6K views)
Feastables is just one of several candy brands looking to promote their goods on YouTube ahead of the Halloween season. A clip from New York-based family-owned confectionary Hercules Candy, for instance, secured its own place in Gospel’s weekly rankings as one of roughly 20 videos backed by prolific YouTube sponsor Surfshark VPN.

Check out the full branded ranking here and head over to Gospel Stats for more YouTube sponsorship insights.

CREATOR COMPETITION

Google and 1 Billion Followers Summit are giving one AI filmmaker $1M

The competition: As the 2026 edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit approaches, the UAE creator conference is joining forces with Google to host a $1 million generative AI film contest.

According to the competition’s organizers, creators interested in winning that grand prize must submit a 7-to-10-minute film that’s at least 70% AI-generated and uses Google’s various generative tools (including Gemini, Imagen, Veo, Flow, and “any third-party tools that use Google Gemini as underlying technology”). Applicants can employ other tools for “supplemental editing,” but must use Google’s proprietary tools for the actual core video generation.

Entries should also be “creative” and “visually realistic,” while addressing one of two topics: “Rewrite Tomorrow” (which prompts filmmakers to “inspirationally [explore] the shape of the future”) or “The Secret Life Of” (which involves “demonstrating that everything around us has an unseen, untold story”). Submitted films can be in any language (as long as they include English subtitles) and must be turned in here by November 20, 2025.

1BFS and Google say the contest is open to anyone—but participants “need to be actively producing content on social media” to be considered.

The process: Once the submission window closes, a panel of judges will take over. Entries will be evaluated from November 21 to December 4 based on storytelling, creativity, AI integration, execution, and thematic excellence. The top 10 films will then be open to public voting from December 10-15, with five finalists announced on January 3.

Those films will be screened on January 10 at the upcoming 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai, where one winner will be awarded $1 million. The summit itself is set to run from January 9-11 and expects to welcome over 30,000 creators, entrepreneurs, and industry experts. Tickets to the big event are available here.

FYI: 1 Billion Followers Summit is a Tubefilter partner.

WATCH THIS 📺

YouTube fandom channels are feeding off the Huntr/x hype

The trend: Months after dominating the Billboard charts, Kpop Demon Hunters is still one of the biggest things on the internet—and creators are picking up hundreds of millions of weekly views on YouTube by leaning into the hype.

Fandom channel Rumi and Demon is a prime example of that trend. Since publishing its very first video earlier this month, the hub has already collected nearly one million subscribers.

Rumi and Demon videos harness the buzz surrounding the titular character (and that of her demonic secret) while integrating enough humor to appeal to Shorts’ broad audience of comedy fans. The result: Rumi and Demon reached 22nd place in our Global Top 50 chart with 584.8 million weekly views.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​

Want to introduce your brand to Tubefilter’s audience? Sponsor the newsletter.

Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.