YouTube Launches New AI Tools, Says 'Will Help Creators, Not Replace Them'

YouTube has been honing its AI offerings for creators for several years, and many of the latest features cater to YouTube Shorts.

24 Sep 2026, 03:55 · NDTV

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YouTube introduced new AI tools to assist creators with editing and production tasks
AI features aim to ease content creation, not replace creators or their creative process
The upcoming Gemini AI assistant will help YouTube Shorts creators with conversational editing

How will AI change the way viewers interact with creators?

YouTube announced a flurry of product updates Wednesday aimed at showcasing its latest AI capabilities while also easing concerns that the technology will make creators obsolete.

The message at the annual Made on YouTube event in New York was clear: The video giant's growing suite of AI tools - powered by parent Google's most powerful models - are intended to lighten creators' editing, production, and administrative load. They're not meant to replace humans or their creative process, the company said.

And though executives acknowledged the rise of agentic AI -technology that lets virtual agents take on more human tasks - they emphasized that YouTube's goal is to free creators of tedious busywork so they can focus on storytelling.

"These are just tools," YouTube's vice president overseeing creation, Aparna Pappu, said at a roundtable Wednesday. "Ultimately, the creator's voice is what matters the most."

This messaging underscores the line that YouTube has to walk in the AI era. The business has become the world's largest video service by capitalizing on user-generated content. At the same time, Alphabet Inc.'s Google is a key driver of an AI revolution sweeping media and entertainment.

Amjad Hanif, who leads YouTube's creator products team, echoed the idea that humans are still in control. "AI tools only make parts of the process easier," Hanif said. "They don't actually make better content or better connection to your audience."

The company has been honing its AI offerings for creators for several years, and many of the latest features cater to YouTube Shorts - the short-form videos that compete with TikTok and Meta Platforms Inc.'s Instagram Reels.

Though more than 20 million videos are uploaded to YouTube daily and it remains the most lucrative platform for creators - with the highest advertising revenue payouts in the industry - competition is becoming ever-more fierce.

Some of YouTube's new AI offerings are aimed at making it easier for smaller or greener YouTubers to make content, attract an audience and build a sustainable business.

In early 2027, a new "conversational editing assistant" built with Google's Gemini AI technology will be integrated into YouTube Shorts and editing app YouTube Create, for example. That will act as a collaborative "creative partner," offering back-and-forth help in that process, the company said.

"A lot of these tools empower you to do things that might not have been in the realm of possibility for you," Pappu said of smaller creators.

Other AI updates shared Wednesday were geared more toward established YouTubers. The platform is testing personalized AI content moderation that creators can use to manage their comments section, for example. YouTube is also expanding its likeness detection tool, which allows creators to monitor the site for AI videos that misuse images of their faces and request removal. That capability will eventually include protections over spoken voices.

Livestreaming, an increasingly popular format, is another key area of investment for the company. In early 2027, YouTube is expanding its automatic "dubbing" tool to YouTube Live, where more than 40% of watch time comes from international viewers. It uses AI to translate creators' videos into other languages in real time so they can reach even wider audiences.

YouTube's E-Commerce Push

In addition, the company is giving creators more opportunities to make money from their posts and audiences globally. That includes ramping up e-commerce efforts with YouTube Shopping. It's the kind of big bet that the video giant made with podcasting, an area where it's now the most popular service in the US. YouTube also previously pushed into living rooms by competing with traditional TV.

After tapping Amazon.com Inc. in August as its newest major affiliate partner in the US, YouTube extended that tie-up to India and Brazil on Wednesday. And the company plans to expand its broader affiliate program to 35 countries by year's end.

Viewers will also soon be able to use a separate AI feature, "Ask YouTube," to query the platform for product recommendations from creators' videos.

"We care deeply about our creators being successful, and if they can make a living from it, they will create more content and more people will spend time," said Travis Katz, chief of YouTube Shopping, which uses AI to help creators tag and earn commission on products they use in their videos and livestreams. "With Shopping, with brand deals, we're very invested in that future."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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