Last year, YouTube announced a bunch of AI improvements and features to its platform. We’re talking about age prediction models designed to protect younger viewers, to using AI to upscale video resolution . That said, YouTube isn’t done yet. In a post on the YouTube Blog , the company announced plans to bring more AI features to the platform in 2026.
YouTube wants to bring more AI features in 2026
According to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, the company is looking to embrace the “new creative frontier,” which apparently involves the use of AI. Mohan says that right now, over 1 million channels rely on YouTube’s existing AI tools. He also revealed that in 2026, more AI features are expected to arrive on YouTube.
This includes the ability for users to create their own Shorts using their own likeness. Then, users can also create games on the fly using prompts, as well as experiment with music. Mohan says, “Throughout this evolution, AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement.”
But what about AI slop?
AI slop on social media platforms isn’t a new thing, and it’s something Mohan is aware of. To that end, he says that YouTube is working to ensure that it is successful in combatting these types of content. We’re talking about AI-generated content that might come across as either spam or clickbait.
He also revealed how YouTube is fighting against deepfakes and ensuring that AI-generated content is labeled as such. “We clearly label content created by YouTube’s AI products, and creators must disclose when they’ve created realistic altered or synthetic content. Because labels aren’t always enough, we remove any harmful synthetic media that violates our Community Guidelines.”
We know that social media is flooded with content generated by AI, and it’s hard to watch. Open Instagram Reels or TikTok and you’ll see AI-generated videos one after the other. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that AI is bad. Mohan says that thanks to AI, it has made videos more accessible.
This includes autodubbing, which Mohan says averaged well over 6 million daily viewers who watched at least 10 minutes of content in December 2025 alone. Meta also has a similar feature for Instagram Reels , where foreign languages in videos are automatically dubbed and translated to make them more accessible.
