Does YouTube Favor Human Voices Over AI Voiceovers?

In my experience, YouTube doesn't really 'hate' AI voices; it's more about viewer preference. I've noticed that many viewers find AI-generated voices unappealing. The moment they hear a robotic tone, they tend to click away from the video, which decreases retention rates. If enough people leave a video early, YouTube's algorithm takes that as a sign that the content isn't engaging, leading to less promotion of that video.

When I first started my channel, I used AI voiceovers and my best-performing video only got around 200 views in a month. After switching to my own voice, even though it felt awkward at first, I've seen a significant improvement. One of my videos climbed to nearly 15,000 views! This shift clearly demonstrates that human voices resonate more with audiences and keep them engaged.

The perception of AI voices can often come off as lazy or low effort. Personally, when I hear TTS or AI voiceovers, I immediately feel the need to swipe away. It’s almost like the voice itself distracts from the content, making it difficult to focus on what’s being said. Viewers might subconsciously associate AI voices with a lack of authenticity, which can hurt a channel's performance.