YouTube Unveils AI-Powered Studio Upgrades, Live Streaming Enhancements, and New Monetization Tools at Made on YouTube 2025

At this year’s Made on YouTube event, YouTube unveiled a wide range of new updates and tools designed to empower creators across its platforms. The announcements spanned Studio enhancements, YouTube Live improvements, AI-powered features for Shorts and podcasts, and expanded monetization options. YouTube Studio received several upgrades, including a new inspiration tab to help creators find creative ideas, A/B testing for video titles, and collaborative editing that allows up to five creators to work together on a single video, with audiences seeing all contributors. A standout feature now in open beta is likeness detection, which helps creators identify, manage, and report unauthorized videos using their facial likeness—following a rollout that began last year. An AI-powered Ask Studio assistant will guide users through account management and provide answers to common questions. The platform also introduced auto dubbing, enabling creators to generate dubbed versions of their videos with synchronized lip movements. YouTube Live received several key updates. Creators can now host interactive minigames during streams to boost engagement, broadcast in both horizontal and vertical formats simultaneously, and use AI-generated highlights that automatically extract the best moments from a live stream and turn them into shareable Shorts. A new side-by-side ad format runs alongside the main video, reducing disruption compared to traditional full-screen ads. For Shorts creators, YouTube is introducing a custom version of Veo 3, Google’s text-to-video generative AI model, called Veo 3 Fast. This tool allows creators to apply motion to still images, add stylistic effects, and insert objects into videos using simple text prompts. Additionally, creators can transform dialogue from eligible videos into catchy audio tracks using Lyria 2, Google’s AI music model. YouTube Music also got new features to strengthen fan engagement, including countdown timers for upcoming releases and the ability for artists to send personalized “thank you” videos to fans. A pilot program in the U.S. will test exclusive merchandise drops for subscribers. Podcast creators in the U.S. will benefit from AI-powered suggestions to help create clips and a new feature coming next year that will automatically convert audio podcasts into video versions with visuals and captions. Monetization tools are also expanding. YouTube Shopping now includes auto timestamps for product tags and auto-tagging for items mentioned in videos, with AI identifying the best moment to display a product link. A new brand link feature will allow Shorts creators to add direct links to brand websites for sponsorships. YouTube will also suggest creators who are a good fit for brand deals through its Creator Partnerships Hub. Additionally, creators can now swap out brand sponsorships in long-form videos, offering greater flexibility in content and advertising. These updates aim to give creators more control, creativity, and revenue opportunities across YouTube’s ecosystem.