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[Digital Today reporter Jinju Hong] Jimmy Donaldson (미스터비스트), the world’s top YouTuber, is moving to build a new production organisation that makes artificial intelligence a core foundation for content creation.
Business Insider reported on April 24 that Beast Industries, led by MrBeast, is hiring a chief to oversee an “AI-native” production operation.
The hiring drive centres on a strategy to treat AI not as a simple support tool but as the starting point for the production system. The company said in the posting it is seeking talent to “build production capabilities where AI is not a tool but a foundation, and define the shape of AI-native entertainment.” It also listed as a key requirement the ability to build an AI-centred system for planning, producing and scaling content.
The move is seen as a shift in production strategy rather than a simple experiment. MrBeast has grown through high-cost challenge videos and large-scale giveaway content, but spending control and efficiency have recently emerged as key tasks. The job posting also reflects a goal of using automation to produce more content faster.
AI-based production is also tied to changes in the business structure. The existing model has depended heavily on Jimmy Donaldson’s on-camera appearances and brand, but production bottlenecks become inevitable as the company grows. Donaldson recently hired Corey Henson, formerly of NBCUniversal, as head of the studio division and has moved to expand video franchises. The company’s workforce is said to be about 750.
The market is watching the move as a strategic shift by YouTube’s largest creator. The MrBeast channel has about 479 million subscribers. Many production studios have already adopted AI across production, marketing and visual effects, and startups supporting a Hollywood shift are attracting large investments.
Still, areas where fully AI-produced content has become mainstream remain limited. For now it is spreading mainly in animation, podcasts and short-form video, and some micro-drama platforms are at the stage of introducing content based on AI-generated characters.
Use of AI is also spreading quickly among creators. Some creators, including Steven Bartlett (Steven Bartlett), are already attempting fully AI-based content production. If MrBeast fully introduces an AI production system, it is likely to become a leading example showing how large creator companies expand intellectual property and content formats through AI.
Donaldson has shown both expectations and caution about AI. After OpenAI released a video generation model, he called it a “scary time that makes you think about what it will mean for creators.” There was also a case in which he launched an AI-based thumbnail tool but withdrew it after backlash from creators.
Ultimately, the hiring is seen as an attempt to redesign overall content production methods and operating structures, going beyond applying AI to parts of the production process. How far it can reduce reliance on an individual creator, alongside faster production through automation, is cited as a key variable that will determine success or failure.
This content was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team. You can read the original version in Korean here.
