British-South African YouTuber Caspar Lee has said online creators should embrace working with TV companies and he believes AI is not a threat to their industry.
Creators from the video-sharing platform have started venturing into the world of TV, including YouTube’s most-subscribed star MrBeast, who recently came under fire after contestants on his Amazon game show Beast Games filed complaints over unsafe environments and alleged sexual harassment.
The show, which was announced in March and was picked up by Amazon Prime Video to air in 240 countries, offered 1,000 participants the chance to win a five million dollar (£3.95 million) grand prize.
Lee would not comment on MrBeast’s case but said there is a space for YouTubers to move from online to TV.
Lee, who started uploading videos in 2010 and has 6.5 million subscribers, shares content including vlogging, pranks and interviews with other YouTubers. He said it is “natural” for TV companies to seek out talent from YouTube.
“I was able to build an audience of six million subscribers starting in my room in South Africa. You’re seeing people now with hundreds of million subscribers starting in their bedrooms and then building their own teams, and I think it’s only natural that big platforms – from your Amazons to your Netflixes to your BBCs – are looking at this group of individuals,” the 30-year-old told the PA news agency.
“I think (going to TV) is not something that YouTubers naturally know how to do because you’re usually doing everything on your own, especially YouTubers from my generation,” he said.
“I think learning how to collaborate and bringing in great team members who have experience, and also the ability, I think, to collaborate beyond the individual for YouTubers is something that (content creators) need to learn to do again.”
He said TV series have become “a bigger business” but added that TV can be restricting for YouTubers.
“I really think that when people have the ability to create content without restriction, on time, without thinking about adverts, without thinking about it getting commissioned, they can just make really good content because they care,” he said.
“Your documentaries or more reality-type videos… I think that is way better on YouTube in terms of when you compare it to television because it’s a lot more authentic, it’s a lot more real,” he said.
“It hasn’t had to go through so many layers – I think that’s what people care about.”
Asked whether he fears artificial intelligence could interfere with his job, Lee said: “Will it disrupt my industry? Not particularly, because it’s always been about subscribing to the people.
“We’ve been able to have AI play chess for many years, but people still want to watch two human chess players play each other.
“I think there’s just something human about that and I don’t think that’s ever going to go away.”
