Google invested in the production of AI videos for children.

Google invested $1 million in Animaj, an animation studio that produces children’s content for YouTube and actively uses AI in production. The deal was first reported[/url ] by Bloomberg, while Animaj itself later [url=https://www.animaj.com/post/animaj-joins-googles-ai-futures-fund-to-redefine-how-kids-content-gets-made?utm_source=chatgpt.com]confirmed that it had joined the Google AI Futures Fund program.

As part of the partnership, the studio will receive not only funding, but also early access to the Veo, Gemini, and Imagen models, as well as support from Google DeepMind and Google Labs teams. According to Bloomberg, Animaj’s channels generated more than 22 billion views over the past year. The company positions itself as an “AI studio” for children and family audiences.

The deal drew attention because YouTube has publicly promised to fight so-called AI slop — low-quality, mass-generated content. In January 2026, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan explicitly

named the fight against low-quality and repetitive AI videos as one of the platform’s priorities, and also stressed that YouTube wants to remain “the best place for kids and teens.”

Against that backdrop, the investment in Animaj looks ambiguous. On the one hand, Google is effectively betting on a studio that promises to use AI “responsibly” and produce higher-quality children’s content. On the other hand, YouTube has faced criticism for years over the safety of its young audience: in 2019, Google and YouTube agreed to pay $170 million in a case over violations of child privacy protection rules.

Meanwhile, Google’s game world generator is having problems.

Will there be more AI slop?