Youtube Studio is has build in AI thumbnail functionality. Google actively encourages use of AI to clickbait and to generate automatic AI replies to comments ala onlyfaps giving your viewers that feeling of interaction without reading their comments.

They insist on feeding me AI generated videos about "HOA Karens" for some odd reason.

True, I do enjoy watching the LawTubers and sometimes they talk about HOAs but that is a far stretch from someone taking a reddit post and laundering it through the robots.

All my music cover images are AI generated. At the same time I refuse to listen to AI music. We're all going to sink alone on this one.

What's frustrating me is if I tell the Youtube algo 'don't recommend' to AI music video channels it stops giving me any music video channels. That's not what I want, I just don't want the AI. They need to seperate the two. But of course they need to not do that with AI cover images because otherwise it would harm me. :)

Probably is your algorithm as mine is pretty good in not showing me those low effort channels. Check out extensions like PocketTube, SponsorBlock, and DeArrow to manage your YouTube feeds better.