YouTube's CEO Neal Mohan has pledged to bring even more AI-driven features to the platform in the near future, citing a commitment to embracing this "creative frontier." A recent blog post outlining the company's 2026 plans revealed several new AI-generated content options, with the most intriguing being the ability for creators to produce Shorts using AI-generated likenesses.
Mohan acknowledged the contentious issue of deepfakes polluting online platforms but reassured that YouTube supports legislation aimed at addressing these concerns. The platform already employs a detection feature to scan uploaded videos for unauthorized use of creator likenesses.
Additionally, Mohan highlighted other forthcoming AI features, including the Playables platform, which allows users to create games using Gemini 3 with a single text prompt, and new music creation tools. Despite acknowledging existing issues with low-quality AI content, YouTube reported that an average of six million daily viewers spent over 10 minutes watching AI autodubbed content in December.
While Mohan did not specify when the new AI likeness generation feature for Shorts would be released, users can opt out of their short-form videos being included in search results. This decision reflects a growing trend towards greater user control over content on the platform.
Mohan acknowledged the contentious issue of deepfakes polluting online platforms but reassured that YouTube supports legislation aimed at addressing these concerns. The platform already employs a detection feature to scan uploaded videos for unauthorized use of creator likenesses.
Additionally, Mohan highlighted other forthcoming AI features, including the Playables platform, which allows users to create games using Gemini 3 with a single text prompt, and new music creation tools. Despite acknowledging existing issues with low-quality AI content, YouTube reported that an average of six million daily viewers spent over 10 minutes watching AI autodubbed content in December.
While Mohan did not specify when the new AI likeness generation feature for Shorts would be released, users can opt out of their short-form videos being included in search results. This decision reflects a growing trend towards greater user control over content on the platform.