YouTube’s investment in AI tools for creators is paying off. In December alone, more than 1 million YouTube channels used the company’s AI creation tools daily, CEO Neal Mohan revealed in a blog post that published on Wednesday.
Over the past two years, YouTube has been investing heavily in AI tools for creators. These range from using AI for simple tasks, like A/B testing potential video titles and images, to more complex ones, like incorporating AI music and visuals into a video or even consulting a specialized chatbot to figure out what works best for your specific channel. Looking ahead, YouTube will expand its AI tool offerings, allowing creators to make Shorts using their own likenesses, produce games with a text prompt and experiment more with music.
“Throughout this evolution, AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement,” Mohan wrote in the latest iteration of his annual letter.
It wasn’t just creators who utilized YouTube’s newer AI offerings last year, as more than 20 million users consulted the company’s Ask tool in December. During that month, YouTube averaged more than 6 million daily viewers who watched at least 10 minutes of autodubbed content, one of the platform’s major AI offerings. By autodubbing their videos into a language they don’t speak, creators can quickly expand their reach.
Using AI to “supercharge” creativity was one of the four goals Mohan outlined for 2026. To do that, YouTube will be ramping up its Content ID offering, which automatically identifies and manages copyright-protected content, with new tools for creators. The company will also continue to support the NO FAKES Act, which is a proposed legislative protection against unauthorized digital replicas.
Mohan’s other goals for the year included supporting creators as the new stars and studios of this era, building YouTube as the best place for kids and teens and powering the creator economy. On the youth front, last week, YouTube announced new guidelines when it comes to creating for teens and families. It also introduced parental controls for Shorts, which lets parents set the screen time timer to zero — a first for the industry.
But other than AI, the big announcements in Mohan’s blog post had to do with YouTube’s monetization. “This year we’ll continue to invest in different ways to earn,” he wrote.
The CEO highlighted newer features like YouTube’s Jewels and gifts, offerings that were released last year as a way for viewers to give money to livestreaming creators. The company is also working on a more frictionless ecommerce system that will let users buy products from their favorite creators without leaving the app. Over 500,000 creators are already in YouTube Shopping.
YouTube also pledged to improve its creator partnerships hub, allowing for agencies and brands to more easily find and hire creators. Creators will also be given new partnership tools like the ability to add a link to a brand’s site in Shorts or swap out a branded segment once a deal concludes, two offerings that were announced during Made on YouTube 2025.
