YouTuber Hank Green Says His AI Use Has Become ‘Not Healthy’

Popular YouTuber and author Hank Green has apologised to his audience after acknowledging that his growing reliance on AI chatbots has become "not healthy," following online criticism over his use of ChatGPT while preparing one of his educational videos.

The controversy began after viewers noticed the phrase “I appreciate the pushback” in a recent video published on the educational YouTube channel Complexly. Some fans speculated that the wording had accidentally been copied from a chatbot response, prompting questions about whether artificial intelligence had been used to write the script.

In a post on X that was later deleted, Green explained that he had produced the video while under significant pressure and had used ChatGPT to help research the topic. He also clarified that the disputed phrase was actually a response directed at the episode’s guest rather than text generated by AI.

Green later addressed the issue in greater detail on Reddit, where he apologised to his audience and said he was “mortified” that he had disappointed so many people. He added that the experience had convinced him to slow down his production schedule across his YouTube channels.

While defending parts of his workflow, Green said he has primarily used ChatGPT to locate academic papers and other research materials rather than generate his opinions or writing. However, he acknowledged that relying too heavily on AI had blurred his own creative process and made criticism from viewers understandable.

Green also stressed that he does not consider himself completely opposed to artificial intelligence. At the same time, he expressed concerns about the environmental impact of large AI systems and what he described as the rapid concentration of economic power among leading AI companies.

He said maintaining his audience’s trust is his highest priority, adding that viewers should always feel confident that his ideas and voice remain his own. Although he believes that has generally been the case, Green admitted he had been working so quickly that even he no longer had complete confidence in his own process.

As part of his response, Green said he intends to reduce the pace of his content creation and spend more time producing videos that feel more personal and deliberate. He also suggested he may create more unscripted videos that focus on direct conversations with viewers.

Reflecting on his recent habits, Green said the constant interaction with large language models and the drive to produce more content had become unhealthy for both himself and his creative work. He concluded that he needs to reassess his relationship with AI and reconnect with the expectations of his audience before moving forward.