YouTube has announced a range of new AI-powered tools and community-building features aimed at making the platform’s creative ecosystem even better than before.
The updates were revealed at the 2024 Made On YouTube event held today in New York City, where the company showcased new ways for creators to expand their audiences, generate revenue, and connect with fans.
One of the key highlights is the integration of Google’s DeepMind technology into YouTube Shorts, offering new generative video capabilities. The “Dream Screen” feature will allow users to create unique video backgrounds, and by 2025, they will be able to generate standalone six-second video clips for Shorts. YouTube says this will be coming to Canada for testing by the end of 2025, according to a spokesperson in an email to iPhone in Canada.
“Creators and everyday users will have unprecedented creative freedom,” YouTube stated. Since revenue-sharing began on Shorts, creator earnings have consistently increased each quarter.
The platform is also introducing “Communities,” a new section on creators’ channels designed for deeper interaction between creators and fans. The feature is currently in limited release, with plans for wider availability in 2025. YouTube told us this will be coming to markets, including Canada, in the first half of 2025.
“We’re committed to making sure creativity flourishes, communities thrive, and the creator economy grows on YouTube. We want to create a future full of opportunities,” said YouTube CEO Neal Mohan on Wednesday.
“Hype,” another new feature, enables fans to support emerging creators by boosting their visibility. In early beta tests, users in Turkey, Taiwan, and Brazil have already engaged with this tool over 5 million times across 50,000 channels. Again, this will be coming to markets including Canada in the first half of next year.
Additionally, YouTube will introduce “Gifts,” a feature powered by Jewels that allows fans to send digital items during vertical livestreams. This is seen as another revenue stream for creators, and looks to be similar to what’s available already on TikTok.
Other announcements include the expansion of YouTube’s auto dubbing tool to more creators and languages, updates to YouTube Shopping’s affiliate program, and improvements for TV viewing experiences, including better content organization and interactive features.
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