YouTube Embraces AI: New Tools for Creators and Content Generation

YouTube to use AI to help podcasters promote themselves with clips and Shorts | TechCrunch

On Tuesday, YouTube introduced new tools for podcasters at its Made on YouTube live event in New York, including new ways to turn video podcasts into clips and YouTube Shorts, and a new feature that helps create videos for audio-only podcasters. Both will be powered by AI and will roll out in the months ahead. Using AI technology, video podcast creators in the U.S. will be able to create clips more easily with AI suggestions, the company says. This will be available in the "coming months," while a feature that will transform those clips into YouTube Shorts will arrive early next year. The addition could give YouTube more fodder to compete with rival short-form video apps, like TikTok and Instagram (Reels), while also directing users to podcasters they might find interesting on YouTube's larger platform, driving subscriptions and engagement. Meanwhile, another new feature also available early next year will help audio podcasters turn their content into video. Using AI, these creators will be able to generate a customizable video for their podcast, the company says. However, the feature will only be available to "select podcasters" when it launches, with a larger expansion planned for later in 2026. YouTube has been more focused on building out tools for podcasters over the past several years, making pods a more prominent feature on YouTube's home page and its YouTube Music service alike. Meanwhile, Spotify, at the same time, has been inching into its market with added support for video podcasts and other engagement features for podcasters, like comments, polls, and Q&As, as well as monetization tools. In February, the company announced YouTube had surpassed 1 billion monthly podcaster viewers. Today, YouTube announced that users, as of July 2025, now consume over 100 million hours of podcasts daily, with more than 30% of those hours starting as a livestream or premiere.

YouTube Thinks AI Is Its Next Big Bang

Google figured out early on that video would be a great addition to its search business, so in 2005 it launched Google Video. Focused on making deals with the entertainment industry for second-rate content, and overly cautious on what users could upload, it flopped. Meanwhile, a tiny startup run by a handful of employees working above a San Mateo, California, pizzeria was exploding, simply by letting anyone upload their goofy videos and not worrying too much about who held copyrights to the clips. In 2006, Google snapped up that year-old company, figuring it would sort out the IP stuff later. (It did.) Though the $1.65 billion purchase price for YouTube was about a billion dollars more than its valuation, it was one of the greatest bargains ever. YouTube is now arguably the most successful video property in the world. It's an industry leader in music and podcasting, and more than half of its viewing time is now on living room screens. It has paid out over $100 billion to creators since 2021. One estimate from MoffettNathanson analysts cited by Variety is that if it were a separate company, it might be worth $550 billion. Now the service is taking what might be its biggest leap yet, embracing a new paradigm that could change its essence. I'm talking, of course, about AI. Since YouTube is still a wholly owned subsidiary of AI-obsessed Google, it's not surprising that its anniversary product announcements this week touted AI features that will let creators use AI to enhance or produce videos. After all, Google Deepmind's Veo 3 technology was YouTube's for the taking. Ready or not, the video camera ultimately will be replaced by the prompt. This means a rethinking of YouTube's superpower: authenticity. I had that shift in mind when I recently interviewed YouTube CEO Neal Mohan at his office at YouTube's San Bruno, California, headquarters. Mohan took over as CEO in 2023 when his boss, Susan Wojcicki, left her post due to a fatal cancer. But first we chat a bit about the company's history. Mohan reminds me that his own connection with the service began even before he joined Google in 2008, after his ad company DoubleClick merged with the search giant. He was struck by how the YouTube founders were first with a revelation that, he says, remains the core of the service. "It was not just that people were interested in sharing short clips about themselves and that it was done without a gatekeeper," he says, "but that people were interested in watching them. That was the big bang inflection point. Our mission is to give everyone a voice and show them the world." Critics of Google's power often argue that not only the public but also YouTube itself might benefit from a split from the mother company. Just think what the world's biggest video company could do if it were truly independent. Mohan, a self-admitted Google loyalist, disagrees. "I don't believe YouTube would be where it is if it weren't part of Google," he says. He says that being part of a giant company allowed YouTube to make long-term bets on things like streaming and podcasting. When I ask whether YouTube might be even more innovative on its own, he reminds me that YouTube has been sufficiently innovative to challenge legacy media in things like live sports while fending off challenges from competitors focusing on the creator economy. YouTube has an advantage in breadth that Tiktok and Reels can't dream of ... "everything from a 15-second short to a 15-minute traditional long-form YouTube video to a 15-hour livestream and everything in between," Mohan crows. It's currently pressing another advantage: Google's AI technology. The announcements this week range from fun features like putting you or your friends' bodies into videos showing astonishing acrobatic feats or allowing podcasters to make instant television shows from their audio conversations by having AI create visuals that resonate with the content of the chatter. Mohan says that, in a sense, AI is just the latest enhancement of the service. "When YouTube was born 20 years ago it was about using technology for more people to have their voice heard," he says. "With AI, it's the same core principle -- how do we use technology to democratize creation?"

YouTube announces new generative AI tools for Shorts creators | TechCrunch

At its Made on YouTube live event on Tuesday, the company unveiled new generative AI tools for Shorts creators. YouTube is bringing a custom version of Google's text-to-video generative AI model, Veo 3, to Shorts, along with a new remixing tool, an "Edit with AI" feature, and more. The custom version of Veo 3, called Veo 3 Fast, generates outputs with lower latency at 480p, making it easy to create video clips, YouTube says. And now, users can do so with sound for the first time. This update is rolling out in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. YouTube plans to expand its functionality to more regions in the future. YouTube is also bringing new Veo capabilities to Shorts, including the ability to apply motion from a video to an image. For example, you could animate a still image by making the person in it do a dance from a video. The company says this is possible through technology that captures and transfers movement from one subject to another. Creators can now also use Veo to apply different styles to their videos, such as pop art or origami. Plus, creators now have the ability to add objects like characters or props with text descriptions. These new capabilities will roll out in the coming months. As for the new remixing tool, creators can turn the dialogue from eligible videos into catchy soundtracks for other Shorts. "As the world's largest creative playground, YouTube is where trends are born and where you can draw inspiration from. Imagine hearing a line of dialogue that sparks an idea -- a funny phrase, a memorable quote, or a one-of-a-kind sound -- and you want to remix it into a new sound," YouTube's Director of Product, Shorts and Generative AI Creation, Dina Berrada wrote in a blog post. "With our new Speech to Song remixing tool, you'll be able to do just that." YouTube notes that the feature uses Google's AI music model Lyria 2 to create the soundtrack. Creators will be able to add their own vibe to the song, like "chill," "danceable," or "fun." The company plans to test this feature soon, it says, and will roll it out to more creators in the United States in the coming weeks. With the new Edit with AI feature, creators can turn their raw footage into first drafts. It transforms raw camera roll footage into a first draft by finding and arranging the best moments, adding music, and transitions. It can even add a voiceover that can react to what's happening in the video, in either English or Hindi. The idea behind the feature is to give creators a starting point for their Shorts, YouTube says. YouTube is experimenting with Edit with AI on Shorts and in the YouTube Create app, and will expand the feature in the coming weeks in select markets.

The AI Takeover of YouTube Is About to Get Supercharged

Imad is a senior reporter covering Google and internet culture. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN, Tom's Guide and Wired, among others. Like all generative AI video models, Google's Veo 3 shines in small doses. At the company's Made On YouTube event this week in New York, journalists and creators saw just what it can do in YouTube Shorts. You could, for instance, film a video of the streets of New York and add a penguin riding a skateboard. Or you could have AI manipulate a picture of yourself to have a black belt in karate or dance like a ballerina. One demo showed how Veo 3 could insert a realistic-looking monster into a living room, with the model accurately casting shadows across the ceiling. It makes sense that Google would bring Veo 3 to its short-form video product, which is in direct competition with TikTok. And it's impressive technology. Giving creators this level of power will spark new and novel videos, ones that might have required teams of 3D effects artists to implement in the past. "I'm praying that YouTube will add clear, automatic AI labels to any videos generated or altered with Veo," said Joss Fong, a video journalist and host of HowTown. "It would be a strong signal that Google understands [its] responsibility to help us navigate the surreal and confusing experience of consuming videos these days." At the very least, Fong trusts Google, as it created an industry-leading AI watermarking system, but she wants the company to signal it clearly to viewers. Even with watermarks and disclosures, people can still fall for AI content or, in Fong's case, begin questioning everything they see online, including videos of themselves. She's confident that YouTube will catch the most harmful misinformation, especially regarding world events or major public figures. When asked about bad actors using this tech to make potentially dangerous, misleading or harmful content, in a bid to grab views, YouTube's director of product management for shorts and GenAI creation, Dina Berrada, said it's a consequence of technical evolution. "Well, first YouTube started out, people complained about 20 cat videos," Berrada said. YouTube then evolved to more long-form content and, with the popularity of platforms like TikTok, introduced Shorts. That, too, got complaints from users, according to Berrada. Now, YouTube Shorts accounts for 70 billion views per day. Berrada said it'll take time for creators to learn how to use Veo 3 to produce high-quality content. The company is also learning what kind of content should be recommended to viewers. "We're not looking only to optimize for pure engagement, but we're really looking at viewer satisfaction and valued watch time," Berrada said. YouTube's new AI features come as Google embeds the technology across seemingly every product in its portfolio, from Google Search to Chrome. Earlier this week, the search giant became just the fourth company to hit a $3 trillion market valuation. YouTube is the most popular streaming service in the world. With billions of active users, it's challenging to find fresh avenues for growth. New AI-powered auto-dubbing features are a powerful way to let English or Spanish videos find original audiences in Portugal or Italy. Fong, who started out making videos for Vox before spinning off and starting HowTown, has seen YouTube's growth in the wake of traditional media's contraction. "If a video performs well, that means people want to watch it," said Fong. Traditional studios, showrunners, critics, stars and executives no longer dictate what ascends in popularity like they did decades prior. Now, it's directly people's likes, plus algorithmic thrust, which dictate popularity in the age of the internet. "With the gatekeepers and tastemakers now deceased, we get the media we deserve." According to Paul Erickson, principal analyst in the media entertainment practice at Omdia, giving creators these tools acts as a "force multiplier," which then helps proliferate YouTube's short-form content. "That then leads, by extension, to more traffic, more consumption, and, further down the road, more ad revenue."

YouTube is adding AI into more parts of content creation

Influencers and content creators are many things beyond their public personas. All but the biggest figures likely do some combination of the following jobs themselves: content moderator, video editor, photographer, social media strategist, script writer, idea generator. What if they could outsource much of that work to AI? And what if it were the social media platforms themselves that provided them with the tools to do so? At the Made On YouTube event, held Tuesday in New York, the company unveiled a slew of new AI features aimed at content creators, many of which focus on all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into a video. Unlike previous tools -- like an AI background music generator or tools that create AI photos and videos -- the new batch are largely content strategy features, marketed as helping creators reach new audiences (and more effectively get in front of their existing base). Among the new tools is Ask Studio, an AI chatbot that creators can use to ask analytics questions about how their content is performing. Amjad Hanif, VP of product management, describes it as a "creative partner": how is the audience responding to a video? What are the most compelling moments of a video? The tool pulls in data from across a YouTube channel, including longform videos and Shorts -- essentially a faster and more direct analytics tool that's built into the platform. Creators can ask the tool to do things like summarize comments and synthesize viewer sentiment, and ask for suggestions based on data: if YouTube reports a drop off in viewership at a certain part, Ask Studio will spit out advice for next time on optimizing that section of the video. Creators can also ask for things like "video ideas from comments on my latest video," and then follow up with requests for title suggestions. For now, the tool can't compare one channel versus another (queries like "What videos from my competitors are performing well?"). Also rolling out is a new thumbnail and title A / B testing feature, building upon a thumbnail testing version that was announced last year. With this update, creators can pair thumbnail images and titles and run tests to see which performs the best; the "winner" is the combination that has the highest watch time. "No matter how good the video is, the thumbnail and title is what gets people to even see the video and see if it's good or not. It might be the most important thing, honestly," says Ashley Alexander, a lifestyle influencer who was given early access and who has been testing some of the tools. Alexander says she uses the thumbnail-only testing feature for every video and has begun integrating the new thumbnail and title A / B testing tool into her workflow. The influx of tools essentially meant to help creators optimize for the YouTube algorithm are something of a paradigm shift. For years, creators ran their own tests to figure out what worked best for each social media platform: how to write the most enticing title or whether to have a closed or open mouth in a thumbnail. It was trial and error, with creators trying to sort through what kind of content the platforms preferred. Now, some platforms themselves directly tell creators what they should post, and how -- TikTok tells creators what topics are trending and even what their followers are searching for in the app, with explicit nudges that creators should make videos that target those searches. The effect is two-fold: it's a way for YouTube and other platforms to more directly guide what creators make. "Optimizing" content is also potentially beneficial to both creators and YouTube itself -- both parties want viewers to be spending more time on the platform, watching their videos. YouTube is also expanding some viewer-facing AI tools like dubbing. Previously creators had access to an auto-dubbing feature -- now, the feature will also sync the YouTuber's lips to match the dubbed language. Content that uses YouTube's AI dubbing feature will have a badge underneath the title and in the video description indicating it was auto-dubbed. Creators won't be able to go through and correct or tweak mis-translated portions after uploading. Separately, creators will also have the option to add multiple collaborators to a single video -- essentially a cross-posting feature. Each collaborator will be able to see performance metrics for the video. The AI creep into influencing and content creation has been happening for a while, and across industries: adult content creators are using chatbots to interact with paying clients and platforms are encouraging advertisers to use AI-generated models to sell products. When YouTube recently updated its monetization rules, many creators understood the "inauthentic content" policy was taking aim at AI-generated mass produced videos. Some creators were concerned about what exactly qualified as "inauthentic," how YouTube would screen content, and how it would decide what to demonetize. There's example after example of online and hobby communities reckoning with an influx of AI content -- but does it matter if it's happening behind the scenes? Do viewers care if their favorite YouTuber uses AI to come up with video topic ideas, like the platform encourages them to do? And if everyone is perfectly optimized for YouTube's algorithm and relying on the same built-in tools, is anyone really optimized? Who wins when everyone's thumbnail and title are just right, or when everyone is using the same AI tool to generate the perfect video topics and scripts? Creators like Alexander say the features are a jumping off point, not a cheat code: the AI-generated ideas are a good place to start, but she thinks ultimately she knows her audience best. For many content creators, their audiences buy into them as people making distinct creative choices, not just churning out whatever a chatbot suggests -- that relationship is something AI can't replicate.

YouTube reveals new AI tools for Shorts creators - see what you can do now

In a blog post today, YouTube detailed several new AI-powered tools designed specifically for Shorts creators -- billing them as "a suite of features designed to make creativity on YouTube more playful and effortless than ever." Also: YouTube is using AI to verify your age now - and if it's wrong, that's on you to fix YouTube says it has partnered with Google DeepMind to bring a custom version of its Veo 3 video generation model to YouTube. Veo 3 Fast works seamlessly in YouTube Shorts, the company explained, generating videos with lower latency at 480p. This means you can easily create video clips (for the first time with sound) from any idea. Veo 3 Fast is rolling out now. You'll find it by tapping the sparkle icon that appears while creating a video. YouTube also says that it's rolling out new Veo-powered capabilities for Shorts. You'll have three new ways to get creative: In one video showcasing the feature, a user adds a karate movement to a straightforward photo. The person in the photo springs to life, unleashing a flurry of realistic-looking moves. In another video, a user enters a text prompt of "a photorealistic octopus on a New York City sidewalk plays drums on buckets as pedestrians walk by." After showcasing the newly musical mollusc, you also see a seal baking a pizza, a skunk spraying graffiti, a peacock pecking at an ATM, a hedgehog typing a poem, and other adorable animal residents. Also: Adobe Premiere's new iPhone app lets you edit videos on the go - and it's totally free To utilize these tools, tap the sparkle icon in the top right corner as you're creating your Short. These capabilities will start to roll out over the next few months. YouTube is also making it easier to get started. Edit with AI is a new feature that takes your raw camera roll footage and makes a "compelling first draft." YouTube explains that the feature intelligently finds and arranges your best moments, adds music and transitions, and even creates a voiceover that can react to what's happening in the video. Edit with AI will be available in the coming weeks. Also: How to turn your Google Photos into videos in seconds - it's free and so much fun Lastly, Speech to Song takes dialogue and remixes it into a catchy tune. (You can see it in action here.) Using Lyria 2, Google DeepMind's most advanced AI music model, this feature takes words from your eligible videos and turns them into songs you and others can use for a Short. You can even choose the vibe of your song, such as chill, danceable, or fun. YouTube noted that all of these features will utilize SynthID watermarks and content labels to indicate that it's AI-generated content.

YouTube Targets Creators and Consumers in Broad Generative AI Push

YouTube rolled out a slew of generative artificial intelligence products aimed at a broad audience, an effort from the video platform to show its massive investments in AI are bearing fruit. The features, announced Tuesday, go well beyond the standard AI editing tools YouTube and its social media rivals have introduced in recent years. Many of the latest tools are tailored specifically to creators and shortform segments known as YouTube Shorts, a sign that YouTube is taking ever-bigger swings to compete with ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok and Instagram owner Meta Platforms Inc.

YouTube Unveils New AI Tools for Crafting Shorts, More Upgrades for Creators

Meara covers streaming service news for CNET. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. When she's not writing, she likes to dote over her cat, sip black coffee and try out new horror movies. YouTube on Tuesday unveiled a new batch of AI tools coming to Shorts and YouTube Studio, including expanding its feature that lets people detect AI videos using their facial likeness. The Google-owned tech giant revealed the upgrades at its creator-focused event, Made on YouTube, in New York. "Today's announcements are grounded in our belief that AI should be in service of human creation," YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said at Made on YouTube. "We're developing tools that give creators new ways to tell their stories and viewers ways to discover them." YouTube is bringing a custom version of Google DeepMind's video generation model Veo 3 to Shorts, allowing users to create short, vertical videos with sound from a text prompt. You can try it by tapping the "create" button and then the sparkle icon in the top right corner of Shorts, the company said. The feature is rolling out now in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source on Chrome. Additional features will roll out to more users in the coming weeks, including Edit with AI, which transforms raw footage into a first draft video, and Speech to Song, which turns dialogue from eligible videos into soundtracks. YouTube said it will start experimenting with Veo capabilities that can add motion and objects to Shorts in the coming months. A stack of new YouTube Studio features was also announced, such as one that expands likeness detection. The tool will let people catch and request the removal of unauthorized videos made with their facial likeness. It's currently available as an open beta to all YouTube Partner Program creators. More upgrades arriving for YouTube Studio in the coming weeks include the AI-powered conversational chat tool, Ask Studio (US only), and the ability to add collaborators to a video and have it appear to all their audiences (slated to drop worldwide). A/B testing for titles and new updates to the Inspiration Tab will be available to most by the end of the year, and an auto-dubbing with lip sync feature is in a limited test, YouTube said.

Get Ready to See More AI on YouTube

The video-sharing platform is jumping on the AI bandwagon with a new batch of AI-powered tools for content creators. The company announced on Tuesday that users will now be able to use AI to more easily edit videos, generate short clips, and even protect their likeness from other AI tools. The updates come as YouTube and its parent company, Google, race to catch up with other AI companies like OpenAI. Last month, Google updated its AI image model, unofficially dubbed nano-banana, to better compete with ChatGPT’s image generator, which went viral with Studio Ghibli-style images. Image generators have become one of the most widely used AI applications for everyday users, and now YouTube is hoping to prove that anyone can use AI to make videos, too. YouTube partnered with Google DeepMind to bring a custom version of their video-generation model, Veo 3, to Shortsâ€"the company's TikTok and Instagram Reels-like feed of quick, scrollable videos. This version, called Veo 3 Fast, makes it simple for users to whip up clips on their phones, all for free. It runs faster with a lower latency of 480p and can generate videos with sound. To try it now, users can hit the create button on the YouTube app and then tap the sparkle icon in the top right of the screen to access Veo 3 and the other AI tools. The new additions are already live in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with more regions coming soon. Additionally, YouTube plans to roll out more Veo features on Shorts in the coming months. These options will allow users to animate photos and videos, apply visual styles, and add objects to videos. YouTube is also testing out a new tool called Edit with AI, which transforms raw camera-roll clips into a ready-to-go first draft by selecting the best moments, adding music and transitions, and can even add a voiceover in English or Hindi. YouTube is currently testing Edit with AI on Shorts and in the YouTube Create app, with plans to bring it to select markets in the coming weeks. Finally, even with all the shiny new AI toys, YouTube acknowledged it has to try to mitigate the new risks that come with them, too. So, the company is expanding a likeness-detection tool to all YouTube Partner Program creators in an open beta. The feature flags videos that rip off a user's facial likeness and allows them to request that the unauthorized videos be taken down. Think of it as Content IDâ€"YouTube’s copyright-flagging systemâ€"reimagined for the AI era, when anyone’s face can be deepfaked in seconds.

YouTube Shorts now lets you turn text into 8-second videos using Veo 3's AI magic

You can write simple text prompts inside the YouTube mobile app and have the AI make a video clip, including sound, that lasts for up to eight seconds. You type something like "a hummingbird flying through a neon jungle at sunset" or "a robot chef flipping pancakes on Mars," choose a visual style, like a kind of animated or cinematic look, and Veo 3 will quickly render your dream mini-movie. The streamlined "fast" version of Veo 3 may be limited in video length and quality, but the Shorts-native version is still impressive considering it's produced on a phone with no actual film footage involved. This integration builds on Veo's official debut earlier this year and expands on the Dream Screen feature that lets users generate AI backgrounds for Shorts. But Veo 3 ups the ante with more than just a backdrop. It produces full standalone videos. Google boasts that Veo 3 is good enough to make natural-looking camera movements, while tracking multiple objects and offering stylistic consistency. That includes how objects move in space. Submit a prompt like, "a knight riding a horse through a burning village", and you'll get a choreographed action scene, not just the disparate elements mashed together. The horse's movement, the knight's arms, and the flickering flames move independently and in reaction to each other. You can play with Veo 3 from the YouTube app by tapping Create and choosing Create a video from a prompt. You don't need to upload anything or have a Gemini subscription at the moment. There's even sound, though no full dialogue as of yet. Still, you can get atmospheric and thematic music generated based on your scene. Giving a forest scene the sound of wind and birds or hearing the hums and beeps of a spaceship makes the final clips feel more finished than a silent film can manage. Don't think you can just trick people into thinking your crazy video is from the real world though. Google added safeguards to prevent that, with every clip generated with Veo 3 in Shorts automatically tagged with a label that says "AI-generated" and embedded with the invisible watermarking of SynthID. Google is betting that for viral Shorts, meme-makers, visual poets, and other untrained users, that won't be a dealbreaker. And the content doesn't have to stay AI-only. The tool also allows users to generate green-screen video backgrounds, which can be layered behind human performers. You could record yourself in your bedroom and replace the background with a dramatic space opera landscape, all from your phone. The possibilities are potentially as broad as your imagination. For everyday users, the real question is: what do you do with it? Make surreal memes? Create ambient video loops for music tracks? Build AI-powered reaction backgrounds? The barrier to entry for video creation is now so low as to be underground. You don't need gear or editing software. It's arguably as big a deal as the initial release of a mobile YouTube app with video creation options. Of course, that's not necessarily a good thing. YouTube has lots of weird and annoying nonsense produced in some way with AI. This could flood YouTube Shorts with even more unpleasant weirdness. And flooding the Shorts feed with too much AI content could overwhelm human-made work. Watermarks help, but they don't stop people from using generative tools in misleading ways. Nonetheless, Google is more focused on how it will make AI-generated video part of the everyday internet experience, skateboarding penguin and all.

YouTube ramps up AI tools for video makers

New York (AFP) - YouTube on Tuesday boosted artificial intelligence tools for creators, saying it has paid out more than $100 billion to content-makers in the past four years. YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan touted AI as an "evolution" aimed at empowering creativity and storytelling at the video-sharing service founded in early 2005 by former PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen. YouTube has become the world's most popular free online video service with billions of users since it was bought by Google in 2006. "New AI-powered products will shape our next 20 years," Mohan said at an event in New York City. But Mohan insisted that "these are tools, nothing more," and would not supersede the role of creators. They "are designed to foster human creativity," he said. In one example, Veo video generation AI from Google DeepMind labs is being integrated into YouTube, enabling capabilities such as easily creating backgrounds in "Shorts" posted to a feed that competes with TikTok and Instagram Reels. "New capabilities powered by Veo allow you to apply motion, restyle videos, and add props to your scenes," YouTube chief product officer Johanna Voolich said in a blog post. AI will also let creators turn raw footage into draft video content or convert dialogue into a song for soundtracks, Voolich added. New AI tools will also let creators combine a photo with a video, essentially making it seem as though the person pictured is the one in action. Podcasts are also a focus, with new tools letting producers use AI to create video versions of what started as just audio broadcasts. Translation capabilities will also turn to AI not only to translate what is being said in videos but to make it appear as though the subject was actually speaking that language. And in order to fight the proliferation of deepfakes online, YouTube promised that a "likeness detection tool" will soon be available in beta test format that will let creators detect AI-generated videos depicting their impersonators.

YouTube announces expanded suite of tools for creators in latest AI push

Neal Mohan on stage at Made On YouTube in N.Y., on Tuesday.Dave Kotinsky / Getty Images YouTube is introducing a slew of AI-powered tools aimed at lightening creators' workloads. During its annual Made On YouTube event, the video platform presented a new AI "creative partner" called Ask Studio, which can give personalized summaries of things like how a video is performing or what commenters are saying. "Our vision is for Ask Studio to become the ultimate creative partner for every Creator -- a trusted companion that Creators turn to first," YouTube wrote in an announcement. "It'll provide personalized and actionable strategic insights based on knowledge of you as a Creator, your channel, and how YouTube works." The announcement comes as social media companies continue to aggressively lean into the AI boom, throwing AI agents and in-platform chatbots at users while integrating more AI-powered tools for creators. Many creators have been experimenting with various AI tools for years, including ones rolled out by YouTube last year, to help them improve their videos. But the Google-owned video platform came under fire earlier this year from a handful of creators who expressed concerns that YouTube was making subtle changes to their videos using AI without their permission or knowledge. In response, the platform said it would offer creators the ability to opt-out of the platform's recent enhancements to some Shorts On Tuesday, YouTube said it plans to offer creators an AI feature that will ideate potential future videos, coming up with a title, description and AI-generated thumbnail for each, along with a possible video hook and narrative outline. The company added that it will pull from past audience behavior to inform creators on specific reasons for its suggestions. The company is also expanding on existing features like automatic dubbing and deepfake detection. In the coming months, YouTube announced, new lip sync technology should make dubbed languages better match creators' mouth movements. The feature is designed to localize YouTube's content across 20 languages, using AI instead of the human translators and voice actors that some creators traditionally relied on. Meanwhile, YouTube's tool detecting unauthorized uses of creators' likenesses is now in an open beta to members of YouTube Partner Program. First announced in December, this likeness detection tool is the platform's response to the growing prevalence of nonconsensual AI-generated deepfakes, often of celebrities or influencers peddling products, that have flooded the internet in recent years. As for live streams on the platform, YouTube says its new AI-powered highlights will automatically find and clip the "most compelling" moments from each stream to turn into Shorts that creators can then share. Other features announced Tuesday include expanded A/B testing options for newly uploaded videos and the option to add up to five collaborators to one video. More AI tools are coming to content creation on the platform as well for YouTube Shorts. Google's Veo 3 video generator, which will let creators turn text prompts into video Shorts, has begun its rollout, and the company is now experimenting with an AI video editor that "transforms your raw footage into a compelling first draft." The platform says it will also start testing a new speech-to-song tool that can remix dialogue into "catchy soundtracks."

YouTube's Got Big Plans for Creators, and it Involves AI - Phandroid

With Google heavily pushing its many resources towards AI development, it's not exactly surprising to see it seep into more and more of its other software products and platforms. That in mind, YouTube recently announced that it's rolling out a series of new tools and features aimed at content creation, which were unveiled at the company's recent "Made on YouTube" event. READ: New Apple Intelligence Features Focus on Daily Use Over AI Gimmicks One key highlight is the integration of Google DeepMind's Veo into YouTube Shorts, which will allow creators to generate video backgrounds, clips, and sound effects for free. Additionally, Veo will also enable creators to apply motion, restyle videos, and even add props to their content. Other new AI tools include "Edit with AI," which helps turn raw footage into a first draft video, and "Speech to song," which converts dialogue into a soundtrack. With that said, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan clarifies that the new tools are designed to "empower human creativity and storytelling" rather than replace it: We see AI as the next evolution of these tools - designed to empower human creativity and storytelling. But make no mistake - no studio, network, tech company, or AI tool will own the future of entertainment. That power belongs to you - the creators. YouTube is also updating its YouTube Studio platform with a new suite of tools, including a "Create Collaborations" feature designed to help creators expand their reach, as well as a conversational AI tool called "Ask Studio" for optimizing channels. YouTube will also roll out A/B testing for video titles and an expanded likeness detection tool that will help them manage videos made with AI using their facial likeness. Big changes are also set to arrive for live streaming, with new tools that allow podcasters to easily create video clips and Shorts from full episodes; Google DeepMind's Veo will also be able to generate a customizable video from an audio-only podcast. For artists, YouTube Music will now offer the option to countdown to new releases and allow fans to pre-save their favourite tracks, in addition to tools that will lets artists reward top fans with exclusive content and merchandise. YouTube is also updating the way that brand deals and shopping work, which includes the ability to add a link to a brand's site in Shorts, as well as AI assistance to make product tagging simpler.

YouTube Announces New AI Tools for Shorts Creators, Podcasters, Live Streamers

The AI-enabled feature is rolling out to the US and the UK first YouTube launched various new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered features at its Made on YouTube event on Tuesday. The Alphabet-owned video streaming platform announced that YouTube Shorts creators will be able to create new video backgrounds and clips with sound with the help of a new AI-enabled tool, for free. The company also unveiled Playables on Live for creators to play over 75 games while interacting with their audience. YouTube Integrated Google Veo 3 Into Shorts for Creators Partnering with Google DeepMind, YouTube says that it has integrated a custom version of the Veo 3 video generation AI model into YouTube Shorts. Creators can now generate video backgrounds and clips with sounds from the platform. The tool is claimed to create 480p resolution videos with "lower latency" for free. Currently rolling out to creators in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the new YouTube Shorts feature can be used by tapping on the create button, then clicking on the "sparkle icon" in the top right corner of the screen. YouTube said that the new AI tool will be available in other regions soon. On top of this, YouTube Shorts creators will soon be able to create a video from still photographs, transform the look for their videos to make them look "pop art or origami", and add objects like a character, prop, or an effect with text prompts using the new Veo 3 AI model. The company said that the feature will start introducing the feature in the "coming months". Google Veo 3 is also being integrated by YouTube into its Podcasts section, which will enable podcasters to generate video clips and shorts from full podcast episodes. If a creator did not shoot a video for the podcast, the AI-powered tool will generate a "customisable" video using the audio files from the podcast. Moreover, YouTube also announced new features for live streaming. The company is introducing Playables on Live. Playables were earlier only available for users with over 75 games. Now, even creators can use this feature while livestreaming, monetizing, and interacting with their audience. Creators will also be able to start a vertical livestream. Lastly, live streamers will be able to create highlights or Shorts from their lives using an AI-powered tool.

YouTube ramps up AI tools for video makers - The Economic Times

YouTube has enhanced its AI tools to help creators, while revealing it has paid over $100 billion to them in four years. YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan described AI as a way to support creativity, not replace it, and said these tools will play a key role in YouTube's future.YouTube on Tuesday boosted artificial intelligence tools for creators, saying it has paid out more than $100 billion to content-makers in the past four years. YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan touted AI as an "evolution" aimed at empowering creativity and storytelling at the video-sharing service founded in early 2005 by former PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen. YouTube has become the world's most popular free online video service with billions of users since it was bought by Google in 2006. "New AI-powered products will shape our next 20 years," Mohan said at an event in New York City. But Mohan insisted that "these are tools, nothing more," and would not supersede the role of creators. They "are designed to foster human creativity," he said. In one example, Veo video generation AI from Google DeepMind labs is being integrated into YouTube, enabling capabilities such as easily creating backgrounds in "Shorts" posted to a feed that competes with TikTok and Instagram Reels. "New capabilities powered by Veo allow you to apply motion, restyle videos, and add props to your scenes," YouTube chief product officer Johanna Voolich said in a blog post. AI will also let creators turn raw footage into draft video content or convert dialogue into a song for soundtracks, Voolich added. New AI tools will also let creators combine a photo with a video, essentially making it seem as though the person pictured is the one in action. Podcasts are also a focus, with new tools letting producers use AI to create video versions of what started as just audio broadcasts. Translation capabilities will also turn to AI not only to translate what is being said in videos but to make it appear as though the subject was actually speaking that language. And in order to fight the proliferation of deepfakes online, YouTube promised that a "likeness detection tool" will soon be available in beta test format that will let creators detect AI-generated videos depicting their impersonators.

YouTube Unveils AI-Powered 'Creative Partner' and Other Tools for Creators | PYMNTS.com

The company announced these new offerings during its Made on YouTube event. YouTube's new AI-powered creative partner is a new YouTube Studio tool, is called Ask Studio and can answer questions about things like how the creator's latest video is performing and what is being said about their editing style, according to a Tuesday blog post. "It'll provide personalized and actionable strategic insights based on knowledge of you as a Creator, your channel and how YouTube works," Amjad Hanif, vice president of creator products at YouTube, said in the post. "We'll keep adding more capabilities in the future." Hanif also said in the post that YouTube has expanded the availability of its AI-powered likeness detection tool in open beta to all YouTube Partner Program creators. This tool helps creators safeguard their identity by detecting, managing and requesting the removal of unauthorized videos made with their facial likeness. For its livestreaming platform YouTube Live, the company has added AI-powered highlights, a tool that creates lasting content from live content, according to another Tuesday blog post. "It finds the most compelling moments from the livestream and automatically creates ready-to-share Shorts," Aaron Filner, senior director, product management at YouTube, said in the post. YouTube also announced new creation tools for Shorts that can generate video with sound, bring photos to life by applying motion from a video, apply new looks to video footage by applying styles like pop art or origami, add objects to videos via a text description, per another Tuesday blog post. The company is also experimenting with a feature called Edit with AI that will be added to Shorts and the YouTube Create app and will generate a first draft of a video from the user's raw camera roll footage, according to the post. "This gives you a solid starting point so you can jump straight to the fun part: personalizing your video and bringing your unique vision to life," Dina Berrada, director of product, generative AI creation, at YouTube, said in the post. To help creators earn more, YouTube has introduced an AI-powered system in YouTube Shopping that tags products in videos, according to another Tuesday blog post. "We know tagging products can be time-consuming, so to make the experience better for creators, we're leaning on an AI-powered system to identify the optimal moment a product is mentioned and automatically display the product tag at that time, capturing viewer interest when it's highest," Todd Sherman, senior director, product management, and Michael Beckmann, director, product management, data and creator earnings, said in the post.

YouTube introduces new AI tools, monetization features for creators

At the Made on YouTube 2025 event, YouTube introduced a series of updates aimed at shaping the next decade of creation, connection, and business. Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, highlighted AI as the next phase in empowering creativity and said: No studio, network, tech company, or AI tool will own the future of entertainment. That power belongs to creators. He also revealed that YouTube has paid out over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies worldwide in the past four years. YouTube is making Shorts more interactive with Google DeepMind's Veo 3 Fast. Creators can now generate backgrounds or short clips with sound at no cost. AI features also bring new options such as: YouTube Studio is evolving into a broader creative hub. A conversational tool called Ask Studio will give creators insights to optimize their content strategy, while title A/B testing, updates to the Inspiration Tab, and improved auto-dubbing will help streamline workflows. Creators will also gain the ability to collaborate directly in Studio, and YouTube is expanding its likeness detection tool in open beta, allowing Partner Program creators to identify and manage AI-generated videos using their facial likeness. Live streaming remains a key driver of interaction, with more than 30% of logged-in YouTube viewers watching live daily in Q2 2025. YouTube is rolling out its biggest live upgrade yet, with tools to: Podcasts are also receiving new tools. Creators can cut Shorts and clips from full episodes, while Veo will help generate customizable video directly from audio files for podcasters without video resources. On YouTube Music, new options such as countdowns and pre-saves will help fans engage with upcoming releases. Beyond music, creators can now offer exclusive perks like thank-you videos, behind-the-scenes content, and special merchandise to their top supporters. To simplify partnerships, YouTube is introducing updates to brand deals, including the ability to add direct links to brand sites in Shorts. A new initiative will also help accelerate collaborations between creators and businesses. Meanwhile, YouTube Shopping is expanding into more markets and merchants. AI will assist with automatic product tagging, making it easier for creators to integrate shopping features into their content. Most of the new features announced at the Made on YouTube 2025 event will roll out through the rest of 2025 and into early 2026.

YouTube's AI Live Makeover: Enhanced Tools, Monetization & Interactivity

YouTube Update 2025 has Introduced AI Live Tools, Smarter Shorts & Flexible Monetization Redefine Creator Experience YouTube has revealed its biggest update on the streaming platform, which takes Live streaming, AI tools, and monetization framework to a whole new level. At its annual Made on YouTube 2025 event, the entertainment platform announced its reshaping strategies regarding how creators may produce, monetize, and interact with their audience. , simultaneous vertical and horizontal streaming, AI-generated highlights for Shorts, and new ad formats have received the most attention. Apart from these, YouTube Studio is getting more tools, and creators will enjoy more flexible sponsorship integrations.

YouTube doubles down on AI, brand deals and creator tools | Marketing | Campaign India

As it layers AI across nearly every product surface, the platform is betting that automation and insight will deepen its hold over creators and advertisers alike. At its fourth Made on YouTube event, the platform laid out a broad set of AI-driven upgrades across Shorts, Studio, music, podcasts, shopping, and brand collaborations. The moves underline YouTube's intent to retain its centrality in the creator economy while fending off rivals like TikTok, Instagram and Spotify globally. When YouTube launched in 2005, the premise was simple: anyone with a camera could upload and share with the world. 20 years later, the company is positioning itself not just as a stage but as the backbone of a creator-led economy. Johanna Voolich, chief product officer at YouTube, noted in a blog that creators have defined culture and entertainment in ways once unthinkable. "Anyone with an idea, whether an individual, artist, studio, or brand, can become a creator here. And we help them turn their idea into a business: we've paid out over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies globally over the last four years," she wrote. The figure is often cited by YouTube to highlight its economic role. Neal Mohan, chief executive officer at YouTube, added, "We didn't just create a platform. We built an economy. We see AI as the next evolution of these tools -designed to empower human creativity and storytelling. But make no mistake -- no studio, network, tech company, or AI tool will own the future of entertainment. That power belongs to you; the creators." Brand deals and commerce One of the most consequential announcements concerned monetisation through brand partnerships. YouTube is moving to a dynamic sponsorship format in long-form videos. Todd Sherman, senior director, product management at YouTube, wrote in a blog, "Instead of permanently 'burning in' a sponsorship segment, creators will soon be able to dynamically insert brand segments directly into swappable slots. This new format enables you to remove the sponsorship when the deal is complete, resell the slot to another brand or eventually sell the same slot to multiple brands in different markets, transforming your videos into living assets to grow your business." Creators will be able to see detailed performance insights within YouTube Studio and share them with brands. Testing is expected to begin with a small group of creators next year. For Shorts, creators will soon be able to add links to brand sites directly, enabling measurable conversions. YouTube argues this will allow advertisers to see the direct impact of Shorts beyond views and likes. To help advertisers, YouTube is expanding its creator partnerships hub inside Google Ads. Michael Beckmann, director, product management, data and creator earnings at YouTube, wrote that the hub will soon use AI to recommend creators to brands. The company also plans to connect more creators with advertisers at industry events and equip sales teams with resources to broker such partnerships. YouTube Shopping continues to be a key part of the platform's commerce push. The service is expanding to more markets and merchants, with AI assisting in tagging products. The ability to add links to Shorts also fits into this strategy, placing YouTube squarely in competition with TikTok Shop and Instagram Shopping. Shorts: AI takes centre stage YouTube's short-form video product, Shorts, has become one of its fastest-growing surfaces. The company is now infusing it with Google DeepMind's Veo 3 Fast to make video creation more automated and experimental. Creators can use Veo to add motion to static photos, stylise their clips in formats like pop art or origami, or insert props and objects generated from text prompts. "It generates outputs with lower latency at 480p so you can easily create video clips - and for the first time, with sound - from any idea, all from your phone," said Dina Berrada, director of product, generative AI creation, YouTube. Other AI-powered add-ons include 'Edit with AI', which drafts a first cut from raw footage, and 'Speech to Song', which converts spoken dialogue into playful soundtracks. These are rolling out first in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand before expanding to more markets. Studio upgrades: Insight and automation For many creators, YouTube Studio functions as the nerve centre of their channel. The company is introducing a set of features intended to make it more of a strategic partner. Among these is 'Ask Studio', an AI conversational assistant that interprets analytics and suggests tactical steps. Amjad Hanif, vice president of creator products at YouTube, explained, "Try asking, 'catch me up on how my last video is performing,' or 'tell me what my community is saying about my editing style'. It'll provide personalised and actionable strategic insights based on knowledge of you as a creator, your channel, and how YouTube works." The Studio will also offer A/B testing for titles, improvements to the Inspiration Tab, and realistic auto-dubbing with enhanced lip-syncing. Another addition is likeness detection, giving creators a way to identify and manage videos generated with AI using their facial likeness. This will soon enter open beta for all YouTube Partner Program creators. YouTube is also extending its creator tools into music and podcasts. Fans will now be able to pre-save upcoming albums and singles, complete with countdowns, while artists will gain options to reward top fans. For podcasters, the platform is rolling out AI-driven clipping for Shorts and simplified video generation from audio-only shows. These upgrades are intended to keep YouTube competitive with Spotify, Apple and Amazon, which have also been investing in podcasts as a growth lever. Live content remains one of YouTube's most powerful engagement drivers. The company said over 30% of daily logged-in viewers watched live content in Q2 2025. Aaron Filner, senior director, product management at YouTube, drew a comparison with concerts. "When a creator calls out your handle or answers your question in the chat, that excitement is instantly shared with thousands around the world, creating a one-of-a-kind connection." To reduce barriers, YouTube has built a 'practice' mode to let creators test their setup before going live. It is also layering in Playables -- lightweight games like Angry Birds Showdown and Trivia Crack -- that creators can play live with audiences while monetising the stream. Growing influence of influencer marketing These announcements come as the broader creator economy matures. Platforms are increasingly competing on monetisation tools and AI-driven production features. Globally, TikTok continues to push hard into shopping and live commerce, while Meta has been integrating AI into Instagram and Facebook. Spotify is trying to consolidate its grip on podcasts and live audio. For YouTube, the risk is twofold. It must sustain creator loyalty while ensuring advertisers see measurable outcomes. The rollout of dynamic sponsorship slots and Shorts-linked commerce suggests a deliberate attempt to prove incremental value to brands. As YouTube layers AI across nearly every product surface, the platform is betting that automation and insight will deepen its hold over creators and advertisers alike. Yet, the shift also raises questions: whether audiences will engage with increasingly AI-assisted content, how creators balance authenticity with automation, and how regulators respond to likeness detection and AI-generated media. What is clear is that YouTube's moves signal an acceleration in the platform wars. As Mohan put it, the company sees AI as the "next evolution" of tools for creators. For brands and agencies in India, the developments underline why YouTube remains a central pillar of marketing and media strategies -- and why competition in the creator economy is far from settled. YouTube's AI-led reinvention lands just as Meta doubles down on AI-powered shopping across Instagram and Facebook. Both platforms are now vying to be the go-to commerce engine for creators and brands -- but the battle will hinge on whether AI-driven sponsorships and shopping links can deliver measurable outcomes without diluting authenticity. For agencies and marketers, the test isn't choosing a platform, but learning how to recalibrate creative and media strategies in an ecosystem where AI is shaping both content and commerce.

Made on YouTube 2025: Veo 3 Fast in Shorts, Ask Studio and other updates

At its Made on YouTube 2025 event, the company announced a series of new tools and products designed to power the next decade of creation and connection. The updates include new AI features in YouTube Shorts, including Veo 3 Fast integration, quick edit for first draft and Speech to Song. YouTube Studio is also getting upgrades like Ask Studio, A/B testing for titles and improved auto-dubbing. Here's a closer look at all the key announcements made at the Made on YouTube event. YouTube is making it easier to create on Shorts by integrating Google DeepMind's Veo 3 Fast. This will let users generate video backgrounds, sound, props, and even restyled clips, all for free. New features like Edit with AI will turn raw footage into a draft video, and Speech to Song can transform dialogue into a funny soundtrack. Also read: OpenAI to build age-prediction system, restrict flirtation and suicide talk for teens YouTube Studio is also getting new features. There is a new Ask Studio tool that provides creators insights to better optimise their channels. Other updates include A/B testing for titles, improvements to the Inspiration Tab, and better auto-dubbing. YouTube is also expanding its likeness detection tool, which helps creators spot AI-generated videos that use their face. Also read: Nothing to launch first AI-native devices in 2026, CEO hints they won't be phones YouTube is also rethinking how creators engage with fans. Live streaming, already watched by over 30% of daily viewers, is getting its biggest upgrade yet, with new ways to reach audiences and monetise. Podcasters will also benefit from tools that help turn full episodes into Shorts or even create video from audio with Veo. For musicians, YouTube Music will soon allow countdowns and pre-saves for new releases.