YouTube will soon let creators make Shorts with their own AI likeness

Viewers scrolling through YouTube Shorts may soon encounter AI-generated versions of their favourite creators. On Wednesday, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan revealed that the platform will soon allow creators to produce Shorts using their own AI-generated likeness.

“Later this year, you’ll be able to create a Short with your own likeness, build games using a simple text prompt, and experiment creatively with music,” Mohan wrote in his annual letter to the community. “As this evolution continues, AI will serve as a tool for creative expression — not a substitute for creators.”

Shorts has become one of YouTube’s most dominant formats, with Mohan noting that it now averages roughly 200 billion daily views. As a result, YouTube continues to invest in expanding Shorts to maintain engagement and audience growth. While the company did not share detailed specifics about how creator likenesses will work, the feature will be added to YouTube’s growing suite of AI-powered tools for Shorts, which already includes AI-generated video clips, AI stickers, automatic AI dubbing, and additional creative features.

In addition to enabling creators to use their own likeness, YouTube plans to roll out new controls that allow creators to manage and oversee how their likeness is used in AI-generated content, Mohan said.

At the same time, while YouTube is opening the door for creators to incorporate their own AI likeness into content intentionally, the Google-owned platform has also been building safeguards to prevent misuse by others. In October, YouTube introduced likeness-detection technology for eligible creators to identify AI-generated content that mimics a creator’s face or voice. When such content is detected, creators can request its removal.

Like many major social platforms, YouTube has faced challenges related to the rise of low-quality AI-generated content. Mohan said the company is actively working to preserve a high standard for viewing experiences across the platform.

“Over the past two decades, we’ve learned not to place rigid expectations on the creator ecosystem,” Mohan wrote. “What once seemed niche — like ASMR or watching other people play video games — has grown into mainstream entertainment. But that openness also comes with a responsibility to maintain the high-quality viewing experience people expect. To limit the spread of low-quality AI content, we’re continuing to strengthen systems that have already proven effective at fighting spam, clickbait, and repetitive, low-value material.”

Beyond AI enhancements, YouTube is also preparing to broaden Shorts with additional content formats, including image-based posts. This format has already gained significant traction on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels.