Leadership and Companies
Creators Gain AI Editing, Brand Tools and Likeness Protection
YouTube introduced new viewer, creator, livestreaming and audio features at its 2026 Made On YouTube event.
What happened
At its 2026 Made On YouTube event, YouTube announced features for viewers, creators, livestreamers and audio audiences. Viewers will get custom homepage feeds, instant recommendations through Ask YouTube and structured Shorts series on television. Creators will receive a conversational AI editing partner for Shorts, improved feedback in YouTube Studio, tools to find brands and pitch partnerships, and expanded likeness detection to protect their voice and face. Livestreamers will gain real-time auto-dubbing and creator-versus-creator Live showdowns. Audio updates include Ask Music for discovering tracks and weekly podcast summaries through Podcast Lineup.
Why it matters
The updates expand AI-assisted creation, brand partnership support and identity protection for creators, while making discovery more personalised across video, livestreams, music and podcasts.
Source: Google Blog