Creator Backlash Signals Shift Toward Tool-Led Monetization

Major YouTube creators are facing audience backlash after promoting the AI platform Higgsfield and its Seedance 2.5 functionality, as The Verge first reported. Filmmakers Matti Haapoja and Sam “Kold” Kolder posted videos framing the technology as a revolution for the entertainment industry. Haapoja's content functioned as an infomercial for *Cully Hill Boys*—a feature film using AI duplicates of YouTubers Matt Kiatipis and Mikyle “N3on” Rafiq—while Kolder's video, titled “AI is replacing me,” utilized a fictionalized narrative.

The controversy intensified when other creators shared screenshots of partnership offers from PR firms representing Higgsfield. While Haapoja and Kolder's videos were not labeled as ads and neither creator responded to The Verge's questions regarding paid partnerships, Higgsfield PR manager Nuray Omarkhan later confirmed to The Verge that the creators received a combination of monetary payments and Higgsfield credits. Kolder's post also included what appeared to be an affiliate link for a 30 percent annual subscription discount.

Reaction has been polarized. The Verge reports that Marques Brownlee criticized Haapoja for comparing generative AI to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, noting that AI is trained on human-made material without credit. While some of Kolder's viewers praised the visuals, others claimed that "no AI can replace creative artists." This friction underscores a shift in the creator economy: while creators once held primary leverage through their personal brands, the emergence of tool-led monetization—where AI can replicate likenesses and automate production—is creating a rift between talent and their audiences.