YouTube used its annual Made on YouTube event this week to show a large slate of updates for creators. The announcements covered the tools creators use to run channels, make Shorts, host livestreams, promote podcasts, deepen fan engagement and earn money from content.
The common thread is clear: YouTube is putting more AI into the daily workflow of creators. Some tools focus on production, such as dubbing, highlights and video editing. Others are built for business needs, including likeness management, brand sponsorships and product tagging.
Studio Gets More AI and More Control
YouTube Studio, the dashboard creators use to manage channels and track analytics, is getting a wider set of tools. The updates include an inspiration tab, title A/B testing features, auto dubbing and more.
One of the most important additions is the likeness-detection feature. YouTube announced the feature last year and had already made it available to a few creators. It is now in open beta.
The feature is designed to help people detect, manage and flag for removal unauthorized videos that use their facial likeness. For creators, that turns a difficult trust and safety issue into something they can monitor from inside the platform where their audience already lives.
YouTube is also adding Ask Studio, an AI-powered tool that can guide users and answer questions about their account. That matters because Studio has become more than a place to upload videos. It is also where creators interpret performance, manage growth and make decisions about what to publish next.
Another collaboration feature will allow creators to work with up to five other people on one video. The finished video can be made available to the audiences of all participating video makers, giving collaborations a more native structure inside YouTube itself.
YouTube Live Adds Highlights, Games and New Ads
YouTube Live, the company’s livestreaming platform, is also getting several updates. Creators will be able to play minigames to entertain viewers, broadcast at the same time in both horizontal and vertical formats, react to live events, use AI-powered highlights and access a new ad format.
The AI-powered highlights feature automatically selects strong moments from a livestream and turns them into shareable Shorts. That gives creators a way to extend the life of a live event after the stream ends, without requiring them to manually search through the entire broadcast.
YouTube is also introducing a new ad format called side-by-side. Instead of interrupting the stream, the ad runs next to the main content in a split-screen-like display. For livestreams, where interruption can break the flow of a live moment, that distinction is important.
Together, the Live updates point toward a more flexible livestreaming product. YouTube is trying to help creators entertain people in the moment, then repurpose that same live content into formats that can travel through Shorts afterward.
Shorts Gains Veo 3 Fast and New Remixing Tools
Shorts is getting some of the most visible generative AI features. YouTube is bringing a custom version of Veo 3, Google’s text-to-video generative AI model, into Shorts. The custom version is called Veo 3 Fast.
With Veo 3 Fast, creators can apply motion from a video to an image, add different styles to videos and insert objects into a video using a simple text prompt. Those features move Shorts creation closer to a workflow where editing, generation and remixing sit inside the same product surface.
YouTube is also adding a new remixing tool and an Edit with AI feature. The source article does not detail every part of those tools, but the broader direction is consistent: Shorts creators are getting more assistance in turning source material into short-form videos.
Music is part of the Shorts update as well. Creators can transform dialogue from eligible videos into catchy soundtracks for other Shorts using Google’s AI music model, Lyria 2.
Music and Podcasts Get Creator-Fan Features
YouTube Music updates are focused on engagement between creators and fans. The new features include a countdown timer for new releases and a way to offer fans thank you videos.
The company is also testing a pilot program for U.S. listeners that will allow access to exclusive merchandise drops from artists. That connects music activity more directly with fan commerce, while keeping the experience tied to YouTube’s own ecosystem.
Podcast creators are getting AI help too. Video podcast creators in the U.S. will be able to create clips more easily with AI suggestions. A separate feature rolling out next year will offer a way to turn audio podcasts into video podcasts.
Those podcast tools address a practical production challenge. A creator may have a long audio or video episode, but the promotional work often depends on finding strong clips and adapting the show for different formats. YouTube is building features that reduce that manual step.
Monetization Expands Through Shopping and Brand Deals
YouTube also announced new ways for creators to monetize. The updates cover brand deals and the YouTube Shopping program, which lets creators earn money by featuring and tagging products in their content.
One notable change is that YouTube will now allow creators to swap out brand sponsorships in long-form videos. That gives sponsorships more flexibility after a video has already been published.
The Shopping updates include auto timestamps for product tags and auto tagging for eligible items mentioned in videos. An AI-powered system will help identify the optimal moment when a product is mentioned and automatically display the product tag at that time.
Shorts creators will also soon be able to add a link to a brand’s site specifically for brand deals. In addition, YouTube will proactively suggest creators who may be a good fit for brands in its creator partnerships hub.
Across Studio, Live, Shorts, Music, podcasts and monetization, the Made on YouTube announcements show a platform trying to make creator work easier to produce, package, promote and sell. The tools are varied, but the strategy is unified: keep more of the creative and commercial process inside YouTube.