Exploring audience engagement with ChatGPT-related content on YouTube: Implications for content creators and AI tool developers

The emergence of ChatGPT in the broader field of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked scholarly discourse on its utilization in various disciplines. Yet, a significant void exists in our understanding of the dynamics of consumer engagement with content creators producing ChatGPT-related content. Therefore, the present study aims to delineate how ChatGPT-related content garners consumer engagement on YouTube. Data from 100 YouTube videos amassing an aggregate of 65 million views on ChatGPT were extracted using three application programming interfaces (APIs), namely, VidIQ, Tubebuddy, and SocialBlade. We subsequently contrasted this dataset with data from 200 other videos produced by the same creators. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, multigroup SEM, and comparative line graphs. Employing the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theoretical framework, our results indicate that innovative content such as ChatGPT-related videos garners more engagement than other content types from the same YouTube channels. Intriguingly, this study finds that ChatGPT-focused content exhibited diminished sensitivity to channel subscriber counts, with channels having fewer subscribers achieving higher viewership numbers. Furthermore, ChatGPT-related content induced a surge in new subscribers to the channel compared to the other content types. The present study pioneers the investigation of audience engagement with ChatGPT-related content by juxtaposing it with other content from the same YouTube channels. We also explicate the relationship between content sensitivity and extant subscriber counts. The present study provides vital insights and implications for a diverse audience, including content creators, developers of AI tools, advertisers, and content publishers.