YouTube has just dropped a series of major feature updates for creators around the world. During this week's Made on YouTube annual event, the platform released a comprehensive set of updates covering Studio tool upgrades, live streaming enhancements, Shorts innovations, and expanded monetization channels.
The Studio tools have seen significant upgrades. The facial similarity detection feature, which was previously tested by a small number of creators last year, is now in the public testing phase. Creators can now detect, manage, and mark videos that use their face without permission, which is significant for preventing deepfakes and protecting personal image.
The launch of the AI assistant Ask Studio provides creators with an intelligent account management experience, capable of answering various questions about channel performance and audience feedback. Collaboration features have also been enhanced, allowing creators to work together on videos with up to five collaborators, and the content will be shown to the audiences of all participants.
YouTube Live has received multiple enhancement features. Creators can play mini-games to entertain their audience, and broadcast in both landscape and portrait formats. The AI-driven highlight clips feature automatically selects the best moments from live streams to create shareable Shorts. The new "side-by-side" ad format uses split-screen display, avoiding interruptions to the live stream.
The updates in the Shorts video field are the most notable. YouTube introduced a customized version of Google's text-to-video generation AI model Veo3 called Veo3Fast. Creators can apply video actions to images, add different styles to their videos, and insert objects into videos using simple text prompts. Using Google's AI music model Lyria2, creators can also convert qualifying video dialogues into background music for other Shorts.
Podcast creators have also received dedicated AI tools. Video podcast creators in the United States can more easily create clips with AI suggestions, and in 2025, a new feature will be launched to convert audio podcasts into video podcasts.
The expansion of monetization features involves improvements in brand collaborations and the YouTube Shopping project. An AI-driven system can identify the best times to mention products and automatically display product tags. Shorts creators will soon be able to add brand website links for brand collaborations.
YouTube Music also received updates to enhance user engagement, including a new countdown timer, a fan appreciation video feature, and a pilot project for exclusive artist merchandise in the United States.
These updates reflect YouTube's proactive approach to applying AI technology. From content creation to copyright protection, from user experience to commercial monetization, YouTube is embracing intelligent transformation across the board. The full rollout of the facial similarity detection feature is particularly worth noting, as it provides creators with a powerful tool to combat the misuse of AI-generated content.
However, the actual effectiveness of these new features still needs time to verify. The quality of AI-generated videos, the accuracy of facial recognition, and the practicality of various intelligent recommendation systems will all be tested through creators' actual use. For the platform, how to balance the introduction of innovative features with user privacy protection and content quality control remains a challenge that requires continuous attention.
