A few channels I like that I think should fit. AFAIK none of them use AI whatsoever.

Stefan Milo (Prehistory/Archaeology)

Told in Stone (Ancient History)

World of Antiquity (Ancient History)

The Pharao Nerd (History)

Trey the Explainer (History and random topics)

Anton Petrov (Space and Science)

Big Joel (Culture/Media)

STRANGE ÆONS (Internet culture and random stuff)

Not sure if these are what you’re looking for, but:

• Dr. Becky [professional commentary on astronomy and astrophysics]

• Anton Petrov [professional commentary on astronomy and astrophysics]

• What’s Going On With Shipping? [videos about the ins and outs of international maritime shipping]

• Not Just Bikes [focuses on the many ways urban infrastructure can be improved]

• Sampson Boat Co. [~seven years worth of videos where Leo rebuilds a 1910 gaff cutter from the keel up. Currently sailing it back to London to participate in race the same boat won a century ago]

• Primitive Technology [builds cool things with sticks, mud, water and pond scum]

• Bad Obsession Motorsport [bought an old mini-cooper and shoved an engine from a Celica GT-Four into it]

• Practical Engineering [a practical look at engineering projects that most people ignore, mostly because they're underground]

• B1M [videos focusing on large mega projects like tunnels and nuclear reactors]

• Jay and Mark [map guys that rightfully complain about Londons infrastructure]

• Florian Gadsby [skilled (practised) potter that makes really satisfying pieces]

There are also channels that are focused on the war in Ukraine and related international shenanigans (in order of avg. video length):

• Perun

• Denys Davydov

• Reporting from Ukraine

• Suchomimus (poor chap made a channel to nerd out about dinosaurs, then the Russians attacked…)

Also check out ytch.xyz; It serves videos from a curated list of channels such that it behaves like cable television.

Also also check out nebula.tv if you can afford it.

More perfect union, according to Nicole, Zac rios

3 of my favorites in last few months.

Darknet diaries is the shit for podcasts. Also on YouTube.

I like:

Technology Connections. Alec is a refrigeration cycle enthusiast from the American Midwest in a tweed jacket who talks about gadgetry. He’ll change your understanding of dishwashers.

History For Granite. Join him to explore ancient Egypt. A no bullshit no ancient aliens channel focusing on old kingdom Egyptian monuments, particularly the pyramids of Giza and Dahshur. His hot takes include “The ascending passage of the Great Pyramid is built of lower quality limestone, possibly because the higher quality Tura limestone used for most passageways wasn’t available. As the passage ascends, you can see the work getting more consistent and gaining quality, as if the masons were gaining skill working with this inferior material.” And he casts solar eclipse quantities of shade at Zahi Hawass. It’s hilarious.

Cathode Ray Dude. A computer and video hardware enthusiast from the Pacific Northwest. He’ll find some electronics artifact and explore its quirks and features, including a whole series on weird old laptops.

Paul Fellows. Bri’ish astronomer type who delivers short-ish briefings on astronomical objects. “Once Around: The Large Magellanic Cloud.” I’m getting to where I prefer his content to SEA or Astrum.

TierZoo. Animal documentaries in the style of video game commentary. Animals are player characters in a massively multiplayer game called Outside. A typical video will be titled “Are snakes OP?” and he will rank various snakes on a tier list. “Next we have the rattlesnake. Rattlesnakes have spent evolution points on the rattle ability, a mid-level intimidation and area denial attack intended to evade encounters with carnivore mains.” The fact he’s been able to keep up this shtick so long is the most entertaining part.

PBS and Nova are good. Science Channel as well. Most vids are short but they put out some banger full length documentaries every so often.

History Time is also really good. The length of the vids can be hella long.

The History Channel has some cool stuff too.

Don’t see “Half As Interesting” listed here. His stuff doesn’t usually go super deep, but I’ve learned a lot from him.

And just recently he was accused of using AI for a thumbnail and this was his response:

SmarterEveryDay is cool, it’s a former NASA engineer just explaining cool shit. I’m a fan of his ‘how do helicopters work’ deep dive, and the world’s greatest archer videos.

Veritassium is kinda the same thing, though I don’t know his stuff quite as well.