YouTube Announces Over Thirty New Tools for Creators and Viewers

YouTube has introduced more than thirty new products and features for creators, artists, and viewers at its Made On YouTube 2026 event. The updates cover video discovery, content creation, live streaming, music, and creator earnings. These tools aim to give viewers more control over what they watch while helping creators make, manage, and earn money from their work. Some updates roll out soon, while others arrive later.

Custom Feeds and AI Tools

Among the major updates is Custom Feeds, which lets users build dedicated video feeds using simple text prompts for their interests or daily routines. This feature will first roll out to users in the US across web, mobile, and TV. YouTube is also expanding its artificial intelligence tools for Shorts and the YouTube Create app. Creators can select clips and use prompts to generate a first draft, while the tool suggests cutting pauses, rearranging clips, and adding text. Creators can keep chatting with the tool to refine the video or edit manually. This AI feature rolls out globally on Android and iPhone from early 2027.

Studio Updates and Shorts Series

YouTube Studio is getting new features to help creators before and after posting. Creators will get feedback on drafts for storytelling, structure, and pacing, along with tools to generate thumbnails matching their channel style. Video A/B testing will let creators test up to three versions of a video to see which keeps viewers longer. Meanwhile, Shorts Series lets creators group short-form videos into seasons and episodes for formats like microdramas, and this feature is rolling out globally now.

Live Streaming and Music

For live streams, Live Showdowns let creators face off in head-to-head broadcasts where audiences can support them through chats, gifts, and Super Chats. YouTube is also testing real-time auto-dubbing to translate a creator's speech into another language during a live stream, starting a pilot phase in early 2027. On the music side, Ask Music lets listeners type requests to get personalized queues, and Podcast Lineup offers weekly spoken previews of recommended podcasts. Finally, Likeness Detection helps creators find videos where their face appears, with future technology combining face and voice detection to spot unauthorized use of a creator's identity.