YouTuber Hank Green has apologised for what he described as an unhealthy reliance on AI chatbots after viewers suspected a chatbot response had appeared in one of his educational videos. He says he used ChatGPT to locate research materials rather than write his scripts, but accepted criticism that his rapid production process may have diluted his voice and damaged audience trust.

The concern arose after Green used the phrase “I appreciate the pushback” in a Complexly video, which viewers thought resembled an accidentally retained chatbot reply; he says it was instead addressed to the episode’s guest. Green, who has 3.2 million YouTube subscribers, said he will pause or reduce posting while changing his process, citing worries about AI’s climate impact, concentrated corporate power and the dopamine-driven urge to produce ever more content.