YouTube had announced a range of new features at its annual “Made on YouTube” event, including updated AI generation options for Shorts, expanded analytics options, auto-dubbing expansion, a heap of live-stream updates, and more.
Yep, quite a bit coming from YouTube.
First off, on its latest AI tools. YouTube’s adding various AI generation features for Shorts, including the capacity to animate still images, re-styling and re-contextualizing your clips, and an option to generate entire Shorts clips with Google’s Veo 3 in-stream.
YouTube says that the capacity to speak your Shorts ideas into reality will spark more creative opportunities, though I’m not convinced that this will be a positive step for creators, or the platform itself, as more and more spammy users end up flooding YouTube with AI-generated garbage.
But AI is the trend of the moment, and YouTube’s looking to hook into this as part of its creative shift, with Shorts effectively becoming a showcase for Google’s evolving AI models.
On still image animation, YouTube says that users will soon have a range of options in using AI to convert images into video clips.
- Add motion: Bring photos to life by applying a motion from another video, like a fun dance or a wild sports move. Under the hood, this uses technology to capture and transfer movement from one subject to another.
- Stylize your video: Transform your videos with new styles like pop art or origami, applying a totally different look to your footage with just a tap.
- Add objects: Set the scene by adding an object like a character, prop, or effect with a simple text description, opening up even more creative possibilities for what you can make next. For instance, add a rubber ducky to your morning coffee, or a giant octopus coming to capsize a ship in the harbor.
So again, more AI content is coming to Shorts, with unreal depictions of random scenes.
Is that a good thing? We’re going to find out.
YouTube’s also rolling out “Edit with AI,” which will transform your camera roll footage into a more engaging video clip, by “intelligently finding and arranging your best moments, adding music, transitions, and even a playful voiceover that can react to what’s happening in the video.”
Also, AI-generated songs based on audio clips.
As per YouTube:
“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. With our new Speech to Song remixing tool, you’ll be able to do just that, quickly turning the dialogue from eligible videos into catchy soundtracks for your next Short.”
YouTube’s also adding AI-generated video footage for audio-only podcasts, so you can have a video component for your audio content, while for video podcasts, it’s adding Shorts clip suggestions so you can get more value out of your content.
Yep, a lot of AI-generated content coming your way, in varying forms in the app.
Over on YouTube Studio, YouTube’s announced a range of creative and analytics updates, designed to help creators maximize their content.
And yes, that will also include more AI elements.
This is a screenshot of YouTube’s new “Ask Studio” AI chatbot tool for Studio specifically, which will enable creators to ask questions about their content and get AI-generated responses.
“Our vision is for Ask Studio to become the ultimate creative partner for every Creator – a trusted companion that Creators turn to first. It’ll provide personalized and actionable strategic insights based on knowledge of you as a Creator, your channel, and how YouTube works. We’ll keep adding more capabilities in the future.”
YouTube’s also rolling out an updated version of its “Inspiration” tab, which will give you ideas for your next video clip, and will also provide insight into key trends that are likely to resonate with your audience.
YouTube’s also expanding its auto-dubbing feature, with better lip synching, and even expressive actions, to match the dubbed audio.
YouTube’s been expanding its auto-dubbing options for some time, and it’s now looking to give more users access to the tool, which will also look better in the final translated audio product.
YouTube’s also expanding its thumbnail and title A/B testing options, with creators now able to test up to three variations for each clip.
So it’s thumbnail A/B/C testing, I guess.
It’s also expanding access to its likeness detection tool, which will make creators aware of videos that include their likeness, while it’s also got some new creator collaboration tools to help channels make the most of creative partnerships.
“You can add up to five collaborators to one video, which will get shown to the audiences of all participating creators. This helps introduce you and your co-creators to a new group of engaged viewers, helping everyone grow their channel. Revenue earned will be attributed to the channel that posts the video.”
Which leads into YouTube’s new creator monetization opportunities, including updated sponsorships, which will enable creators to “dynamically insert brand segments directly into swappable slots.”
As you can see in this example, the sponsor tag will light up when the product is mentioned in the clip, providing a more dynamic insertion style for partnerships.
“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.”
Shorts creators, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to add a link to a brand’s site specifically for brand deals, making it easier for brands to track referrals from specific creators, while YouTube’s also adding new AI-powered product tagging, which will streamline brand partnerships.
Finally, YouTube’s also expanding its “YouTube Shopping” program to more creators and markets, including Brazil, while it’s also adding more big-name merchants into the program, including Nike, Etsy, Best Buy, Shark Ninja, Michaels, and Michael Kors in the U.S., and Olive Young and ZigZag in Korea.
YouTube Shopping provides an easy way for creators to link to approved products within their clips, adding another monetization opportunity.
The final element of YouTube’s raft of updates is YouTube Live, which YouTube says has seen a big rise in interest of late:
“On average, over 30% of daily logged-in YouTube viewers watched live content in Q2 2025 alone, turning to streams for everything from let’s plays to Q&As.”
That presents another key opportunity, and YouTube’s looking to capitalize on this with improved live-stream options, including the capacity to broadcast in both horizontal and vertical formats simultaneously, and play games from YouTube’s in-stream library during a live broadcast.
YouTube’s also rolling out a new option that will enable creators to practice going live before actually launching a broadcast, which could help you get more comfortable with the format, while it’s also launching a new live reaction option, which will enable creators to start a vertical live-stream on mobile and react to other live events.
YouTube’s also looking to help live creators get the most out of their content, with a new AI-powered option that will extract Shorts clips from their broadcast.
While it’s also adding new monetization options for live, including side-by-side ads, which will display ads without interrupting your stream.
So a heap of new considerations for your YouTube clips and promotions, which will offer a range of new opportunities within your process.
You can learn more about YouTube’s various Made On announcements here.
