When Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson released an AI-powered thumbnail generator, he probably expected praise. The reality couldn’t be more different. The tool, which was made in collaboration with Viewstats, was designed to generate eye-catching YouTube thumbnails — but it soon hit a snag.
As previously reported by Passionfruit, creators such as Jacksepticeye accused the tool of plagarising his work, claiming that some of the sample thumbnails included his logo. Others complained about the $79.99 price tag.
While Donaldson tried to defend the tool, it seems like he’s since changed tactics, as he announced in a new X video that he was removing it.
“I thought people were gonna be pretty excited about it,” Donaldson said. “I definitely missed the mark.”
He continued: “I read all your feedback and we just enacted some changes. Going forward, there is no AI thumbnail tool.”
Now, when users visit the Viewstats website, they can find a list of thumbnail artists. “I wanted to go one step further to show artists that I care,” he said. “Basically turning this negative situation into something positive. I care more than any of you could imagine about the YouTube community. I’m the biggest YouTuber in the world, and I don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
Ultimately, the thumbnail tool wasn’t a complete waste of time — it highlighted and platformed real-life thumbnail artists. So, in the war against AI, that’s one point for us humans.
