Prime Highlight

• YouTube will introduce a feature allowing creators to make Shorts using their own AI-generated likeness, reinforcing AI as a creative aid rather than a replacement for human creators.
• The platform is also enhancing creator control by introducing tools to manage and monitor the use of their face and voice in AI-generated content.

Key Facts

• YouTube Shorts is one of the platform’s fastest-growing formats, averaging around 200 billion daily views.
• The new AI likeness feature will join existing tools such as AI-generated video clips, stickers, auto-dubbing, and likeness-detection technology launched in October last year.

Background

YouTube is set to introduce a new feature that will allow creators to make Shorts using their own AI-generated likeness, further expanding its use of artificial intelligence in content creation. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan made the announcement in his annual letter.

According to Mohan, creators will soon be able to produce Shorts using digital versions of themselves, create games with simple text prompts, and experiment with AI-generated music. He said the company sees AI as a creative tool that helps expression, not as a replacement for human creators.

Shorts remain one of YouTube’s fastest-growing formats, averaging around 200 billion daily views. To sustain this momentum, YouTube continues to invest heavily in new tools and formats. While the company has not shared detailed technical information, the AI likeness feature will join existing tools such as AI-generated video clips, stickers, auto-dubbing and other creative options.

At the same time, YouTube plans to give creators more control over how their likeness is used in AI-generated content. Mohan said new management tools will help creators monitor and manage the use of their face and voice.

The move follows YouTube’s recent efforts to protect creators from misuse. In October last year, the platform launched likeness-detection technology that helps identify AI-generated videos featuring a creator’s face or voice. Eligible creators can request the removal of such content.

YouTube also acknowledged concerns around low-quality AI-generated videos. Mohan said the company is strengthening its systems to reduce spam, clickbait, and repetitive AI content.

In addition, YouTube plans to grow Shorts by adding new formats, such as image posts, following trends already popular on TikTok and Instagram Reels.