YouTube Shorts viewers may soon see AI versions of their favorite creators as they scroll through their feeds. YouTube CEO Neil Mohan announced Wednesday that creators will soon be able to use their likeness to create short videos.
“This year, you’ll be able to create short videos using your likeness, create games using simple text prompts, and experiment with music,” Mohan wrote in his annual letter. “Throughout this evolution, AI is a tool for expression, not a replacement.”
According to Mohan, short videos currently receive an average of 200 billion views per day and are one of the most popular media on YouTube. The company continues to invest in short videos to maintain viewership. YouTube didn’t provide details about these similarities, but the new feature joins the platform’s current AI tools for Shorts, which include the ability to generate AI clips, AI stickers, AI auto-dubbing, and more.
Mohan said YouTube will also give creators new tools to control the use of their likeness in AI-generated content.
YouTube allows creators to feature their likeness in their videos, but the Google-owned platform recently announced technology to prevent others from using it. Last October, YouTube introduced similarity detection technology to eligible creators to identify AI-generated content that features similarities, such as a creator’s face or voice. Creators can request removal of AI-generated content.
Like other social platforms, YouTube has been dealing with an epidemic of AI slop. Mohan said the company is working to maintain a high-quality viewing experience.
“Over the past 20 years, we have learned not to impose our biases on the creator ecosystem,” Mohan wrote. “Today, once-bizarre trends like ASMR and watching others play video games have become mainstream favorites. But with this openness comes a responsibility to maintain the high-quality viewing experience that people want. To reduce the spread of low-quality AI content, we are proactively building on established systems that have been highly successful in combating spam and clickbait and reducing the spread of low-quality, repetitive content.”
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YouTube also plans to expand short videos with new formats, such as image posts, which are already popular on TikTok and Instagram Reels.
