YouTube Leans Into AI With Tools to Generate Video, Backgrounds and More: ‘It’s About Empowering Creativity, Not Replacing It’

Todd Spangler
·4 min read

YouTube is going large on generative AI — positioning new features coming to the platform as enabling creators to “unlock new forms of expression.”

At its Made on YouTube creator event Wednesday in New York, YouTube unveiled a series of new features and tools for its millions of creators, led by AI.

More from Variety

YouTube has dabbled in gen AI already. Last year, for example, it launched Dream Screen, which produces AI-generated backgrounds for YouTube Shorts. But “we’re just scratching the surface of what’s to come,” Johanna Voolich, YouTube’s chief product officer, said in a blog post. “It’s all about empowering your creativity, not replacing it.”

YouTube said it will start integrating Google DeepMind’s Veo generative AI video model into YouTube Shorts later this year. That will let creators produce “even more incredible video backgrounds, breathing life into concepts that were once impossible to visualize,” according to Voolich. For example, “Imagine a BookTuber stepping into the pages of the classic novel ‘The Secret Garden’ or a fashion designer instantly visualizing fun and imaginative design concepts to share with their audience.”

In addition, DeepMind’s Veo will let creators generate 6-second standalone video clips for Shorts. YouTube said AI-generated content will be watermarked using SynthID, and “we’ll apply a label that clearly communicates to viewers it was generated with AI,” Voolich said.

Generative AI also will be a “brainstorming buddy” for creators in the YouTube Studio app via the Inspiration Tab. That will help curate suggestions including video ideas, titles, thumbnails and outlines “to match your style,” according to Voolich. In 2025, YouTube will introduce a new shortcut that takes creators directly to the Inspiration Tab from places like top comments and other videos.

YouTube also is planning to expand its automatic dubbing tool, which can generate translated audio tracks for videos in different languages. That will expand the number of languages it supports, including adding Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. YouTube is testing a new capability with a small group of creators, “that will transfer your tone and intonation, the ambiance of your surroundings – and infuse it into the dubbed audio, making the experience sound even more natural,” Voolich wrote.

Here’s a rundown of other new features YouTube announced:

YouTube’s TV apps can organize content by seasons and episodes: Creators will be able to organize their content into seasons and episodes, making it look more akin to subscription streaming services like Netflix. In addition, it plans other enhancements for YouTube on TV screens with “immersive content” that plays directly from a creator’s channel, along with streamlined subscription options and easier access to links in descriptions.

YouTube Communities: Available to a limited number of channels now, YouTube plans to test Communities with more users through the end of the year. You can learn more about it at our blog post here. Revamp of Comments tab in the YouTube Studio app: into ‘Community,’ a hub for deeper fan engagement. Responding to lots of comments can be overwhelming, so we’re adding AI-enhanced reply suggestions tailored to your style, giving you a helpful starting point that you can easily customize to craft your response. Look out for this feature and more time-saving tools like a community spotlight and audience metrics soon!

YouTube Hype: Spotlight rising stars with Hype: Turn up the volume on those rising stars you can’t stop talking about! Hype gives people a new way to show support for emerging creators they believe in. By “hyping” a video, fans have a shared purpose to connect their favorite creators to new audiences. Videos with the most hype points will be featured on a special leaderboard, increasing their chances of discovery and recognition. We’ve been testing it already in Brazil, Turkey, and Taiwan and we plan to expand to more of you in the coming months – read more about it here.

And there are new monetization features coming to YouTube:

YouTube Gifts, Powered by Jewels: Creators can offer the digital items to generate revenue, launching first on vertical livestreams in the U.S. These will make it “easier for viewers to react, express excitement, and actively participate to add more magic in the moment,” according to YouTube.

Expanded YouTube Shopping: There are now over 250,000 creators in YouTube Shopping affiliate program, which is currently available in the U.S. and South Korea. YouTube is expanding it to Indonesia, in partnership with Shopee, and will next bring the program to Thailand and Vietnam.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next