The State of Tech & AI YouTube 2026
We tracked 280 active tech and AI channels and 14K of their videos. AI companies are now the biggest buyers in the category — here is where their money goes, and where it works.
- Channels tracked
- 280
- Videos analysed
- 14K
- Brands seen sponsoring
- 246
- Creators with disclosed deals
- 89
Finding 1
AI software is now the #1 sponsor of tech YouTube
We read the descriptions of every channel's latest uploads for explicit paid-partnership disclosures. 44% of sponsored tech and AI creators ran at least one deal for an AI product — ahead of phones, PC parts and smart-home gear. AI companies aren't staying in their lane either: 17 of the creators they paid are mainstream tech channels, including Unbox Therapy.
Share of sponsored creators with a deal in each category
Most active sponsors
- 1ChatGPTAI software9 creators
- 2AnkerConsumer electronics8 creators
- 3Wispr FlowAI software7 creators
- 4HiggsfieldAI software5 creators
- 5ESRConsumer electronics4 creators
Finding 2
Subscribers don't buy views
Nathan Espinoza and thenewboston both sit near 2.6M subscribers. A typical video from the first reaches 103× more people. Across all 280 channels, subscriber count explains only part of typical views (rank correlation 0.58).
Nathan Espinoza
2.2M subscribers
1.3M
median views per video, last 90 days
thenewboston
2.6M subscribers
13.1K
median views per video, last 90 days
Finding 3
Channels under 250K reach 2.0× more of their audience
A typical video from a 30K–250K channel reaches 16% of its subscriber count. Between 250K and 5M subscribers that halves to 8%. The few 5M+ names recover some of it, but for most budgets the mid-size channels are the expensive part of the market.
Finding 4
Most creators lose reach on sponsored videos — 17 of 46 don't
Against each channel's own norm for the same format, the median sponsored video lands at 0.95× and breaks out (2× the channel's usual) 14% of the time, versus 20% for everything else. Of 46 creators with at least three sponsored videos, 17 keep their sponsored videos at full reach. Picking from that group is most of the job.
0.95×
median sponsored video vs. the creator's norm
14% vs 20%
breakout rate, sponsored vs. organic
17 of 46
creators whose sponsored videos hold their usual reach
Benchmarks
Tech vs AI, niche by niche
Tech · 220 channels
- Median subscribers
- 345K
- Views / sub
- 11%
- Engagement
- 2.02%
- With sponsors
- 30%
AI · 60 channels
- Median subscribers
- 196.5K
- Views / sub
- 11%
- Engagement
- 1.57%
- With sponsors
- 38%
| Niche | Channels | Median subs | Views / sub | Engagement | With sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC Building & Hardware | 33 | 587K | 11% | 2.46% | 45% |
| Tech Reviews & Gadgets | 31 | 550K | 12% | 1.58% | 42% |
| Programming & Software | 23 | 285K | 9% | 2.08% | 35% |
In the full report
What brands use to plan a tech or AI campaign
Who AI companies hire
The 39 creators AI products paid, by brand — and the mainstream tech channels they're moving into.
Sponsor map: 246 brands
Every disclosed partnership, with the video and the exact disclosure line as evidence.
Rate benchmarks by niche and format
Estimated cost per integration and per Short, built from each creator’s real median views.
Breakout channels this month
Channels whose last 30 days are running far above their own norm — before they get expensive.
Sponsor-proof creators
The 17 creators whose sponsored videos hold full reach, ranked.
A shortlist for your brand
Tell us your product; Marble ranks the tech and AI creators your buyers already watch.
Browse the lists
Top tech and AI YouTubers by niche and country
Tech
- All Tech YouTubers220
- Tech Reviews & Gadgets YouTubers31
- Phones & Wearables YouTubers15
- PC Building & Hardware YouTubers33
- Smart Home YouTubers13
- Tech News & Podcasts YouTubers20
- Audio & Headphones YouTubers15
- Cameras & Photography YouTubers20
- Drones & FPV YouTubers14
- 3D Printing & Making YouTubers11
- Linux & Homelab YouTubers13
- Cybersecurity & Privacy YouTubers12
- Programming & Software YouTubers23
AI
Method
Public YouTube Data API counters for 280 active tech and AI channels (≥30K subscribers, ≥3 uploads and ≥2K median views in the last 90 days), found through 118 sub-niche searches and reviewed by hand. Medians use videos 7–90 days old. Sponsors are literal paid-partnership disclosures in the descriptions of each channel's last 50 uploads — a floor, not a census. Sponsored-video performance is measured against each channel's own median for the same format.
Data as of 2026-10-22. Observational, not causal; public counters only — no private analytics.
Get the full YouTube tech & AI report
Named creators, sponsor evidence and rate benchmarks — plus a shortlist built for your product.
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