YouTube CEO Neal Mohan introduced the corporate’s priorities in his annual letter, previewing new AI creation instruments, expanded purchasing options, and format adjustments to Shorts.
AI Creation Instruments
YouTube is including three AI creation options this yr. Creators will have the ability to make Shorts utilizing their very own likeness, produce video games from textual content prompts by means of the experimental Playables program, and experiment with music creation instruments.
Greater than 1 million channels used YouTube’s AI creation instruments day by day in December, in keeping with the letter. The corporate additionally reported 20 million customers realized about content material by means of its Ask software in December, and 6 million day by day viewers watched at the very least 10 minutes of autodubbed content material.
Mohan sees these instruments as inventive aids relatively than replacements.
“All through this evolution, AI will stay a software for expression, not a alternative,” he wrote.
YouTube additionally addressed issues about AI-generated content material high quality, saying it’s constructing on spam and clickbait detection techniques to scale back what Mohan known as “AI slop.”
Buying Expands With In-App Checkout
YouTube is pushing additional into commerce with in-app checkout, letting viewers buy merchandise with out leaving the location.
Greater than 500,000 creators are already in YouTube Buying. Mohan cited creator Vineet Malhotra, who drove “hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in YouTube Buying GMV in 2025.”
I lined YouTube’s commerce push again in September when the corporate introduced AI-powered product tagging and computerized timestamps for purchasing movies. In-app checkout is the subsequent step, aiming to scale back the friction of sending viewers to exterior websites.
Model partnership instruments are increasing too. Shorts creators will have the ability to add hyperlinks to model websites for sponsored content material, and a brand new characteristic lets creators swap out branded segments after publishing to show again catalogs into recurring income.
Shorts Will get Picture Posts
Picture posts are coming to the Shorts feed this yr. Shorts now averages 200 billion day by day views, in keeping with Mohan.
The addition brings YouTube nearer to Instagram’s format, mixing static pictures with video in the identical feed.
Parental Controls
Parental management updates introduced final week let mother and father set closing dates on Shorts scrolling for youths and youths, together with setting the timer to zero. YouTube calls this an “trade first.”
How 2025 Guarantees Performed Out
I lined Mohan’s 2025 letter when he introduced TV had surpassed cellular as the first viewing gadget within the U.S. That letter made related commitments. Some shipped, others are nonetheless pending.
Auto dubbing, which he promised to broaden to all YouTube Accomplice Program creators, rolled out. The 2026 letter says 6 million day by day viewers now watch at the very least 10 minutes of autodubbed content material. AI instruments for video concepts, titles, and thumbnails launched by means of the Inspiration Tab final yr.
YouTube TV’s multiview enhancements are nonetheless coming. The 2025 letter promised enhancements; the 2026 letter says “totally customizable multiview” arrives quickly. The specialised YouTube TV plans Mohan introduced this yr are new.
The likeness-based Shorts creation, text-to-game options, in-app checkout, and picture posts in Shorts are all new to the 2026 roadmap.
Why This Issues
YouTube retains constructing instruments that maintain customers and transactions inside its ecosystem. AI creation options give creators extra manufacturing choices. In-app checkout offers YouTube extra management over the commerce layer.
The $100 billion YouTube says it paid creators over the previous 4 years exhibits the size of its creator economic system. These updates purpose to maintain that system rising.
Trying Forward
Most options don’t have particular launch dates. Mohan used “this yr” and “quickly” all through the letter.
Parental management updates are rolling out now. Creators in YouTube Buying ought to look ahead to checkout integration, and people utilizing AI instruments can anticipate expanded choices all through 2026.
