YouTube digs deeper into AI, changing your homepage and how videos are made, but exec says, 'we only succeed when creators succeed'

At a gathering of YouTubers, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and other executives shared excitement over new AI-powered tools that will enhance both viewer and creator experiences. These updates were showcased at the Made on YouTube event, which highlighted a variety of significant platform improvements. One notable addition is Custom Feeds, AI-generated feeds based on user prompts, expected on desktop and mobile devices this fall.

These feeds dynamically update with relevant videos as users specify their interests, such as "videos of tuxedoed cats playing jazz on pianos." Additionally, YouTube is enhancing its AI chatbot, Ask YouTube, to provide more conversational and contextual results, even extracting information from comments. This tool may eventually bridge the gap between video creators and affiliate revenue opportunities.

Another innovative feature is Ask Studio, an AI-powered editing assistant that allows creators to use natural language for video editing tasks, including finding suitable music, syncing clips, and selecting engaging hooks. Furthermore, YouTube is introducing an AI-based personalized podcast lineup for audio consumers, along with an AI chatbot for YouTube Music, capable of exploring artist and song details.

Other updates include transforming YouTube Shorts into Shorts Series with dedicated seasons and episodes, adding GIFs in comments, custom thumbnails for various audiences, analytics with rich insights and A/B testing capabilities, and auto-dubbing for live videos, enabling real-time translation. Throughout the updates, YouTube executives emphasized that their primary goal is to support creators, ensuring that AI advances co-create and collaborate with the video community, as stated by Aparna Pappu, who leads YouTube Shorts, and Amjad Hanif, VP of Creator Products.