YouTube has announced a new initiative that will allow creators to post Shorts featuring their own likeness, a move revealed in CEO Neal Mohan’s annual letter on January 21. He emphasised that while AI will play an increasingly prominent role in content creation, it is intended to serve as a tool for expression rather than a substitute for human creativity.
“Over the past 20 years, we’ve learned not to impose any preconceived notions on the creator ecosystem. Today, once-odd trends like ASMR and watching other people play video games are mainstream hits.”
Mohan stated that the company clearly labels content created with its AI products and requires creators to disclose when they have produced “realistic, altered, or synthetic content”. He also mentioned that the company will provide creators with new tools to control the use of their likeness in AI-generated content.
“It’s becoming harder to detect what’s real and what’s AI-generated. This is particularly critical when it comes to deepfakes. We clearly label content created by YouTube’s AI products, and creators must disclose when they’ve created realistic, altered or synthetic content,” Mohan said in the letter.
To help reduce the circulation of low-quality AI content, the company is enhancing its existing systems, which have been effective at combating spam and clickbait and at reducing the dissemination of low-quality, repetitive content.
In the letter, Mohan asserted that YouTube recognises that labels alone are insufficient, which is why it takes action to eliminate harmful synthetic media that breaches its community guidelines.
They are enhancing the existing Content ID system to provide creators with improved tools for managing the use of their likeness in AI-generated content. Moreover, the company is committed to preserving creative integrity by endorsing significant legislation such as the NO FAKES Act (Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act).
In the past four years, the company has disbursed over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media organisations, making a substantial impact on economic growth. In 2024, YouTube’s ecosystem alone contributed $55 billion to the US GDP and supported more than 4.9 lakh full-time jobs as creators launched businesses and employed individuals in their communities.
Mohan also mentioned a new AI feature on YouTube that allows game creation from simple text prompts. The platform already offers various AI tools for creators to enhance video accessibility, including Edit with AI, auto-dubbing in over 20 languages, and Dream Screen for AI-generated backgrounds in Shorts.
In December, YouTube reported an average of over six million daily viewers who watched at least 10 minutes of autodubbed content.
“Ultimately, we’re focused on ensuring AI serves the people who make YouTube great: the creators, artists, partners, and billions of viewers looking to capture, experience and share a deeper connection to the world around them,” Mohan added.
