YouTube Made On 2026: New AI Tools, Shorts Series and Creator Features Revealed
YouTube has unveiled a major wave of new features for creators and viewers at Made On YouTube 2026, with updates spanning discovery, Shorts, live streaming, monetization, shopping, AI-assisted creation and creator protection.
The announcements are designed to give creators more ways to reach audiences, build communities and turn YouTube channels into sustainable businesses. YouTube says the new tools will roll out across the rest of 2026 and into 2027, with availability varying by feature and market.
Among the biggest announcements are Custom Feeds, Shorts Series, video A/B testing, Dynamic Thumbnails, conversational editing, Live Showdowns, live auto-dubbing, expanded YouTube Shopping tools and new Ask Studio capabilities.
YouTube is changing how viewers discover content
One of the most notable discovery updates is Custom Feeds, which will let viewers create dedicated homepage feeds around specific interests, moods or routines. Users will be able to save multiple personalized feeds and return to them from the YouTube homepage.
YouTube says Custom Feeds will initially be available to users in the U.S. across web, mobile and TV, with the rollout planned for this fall.
YouTube is also introducing Shorts Series, allowing creators to organize Shorts into seasons and episodes. The format is particularly suited to serialized storytelling and microdramas, with sequential playback and custom thumbnails helping viewers move through episodes more easily.
YouTube says microdrama content generated more than 6.5 billion views during the first half of 2026, while TV viewing of microdramas increased by more than 90% year over year.
Posts are also being pushed further into the Shorts ecosystem, while YouTube plans to bring posts to TV screens so viewers can interact with creator communities from their living rooms.
Live streams are getting more interactive
YouTube is adding several tools aimed at making live content more social and interactive.
Live Showdowns will allow co-hosted streams to become timed head-to-head competitions. Viewers can support creators through interactions such as chats, gifts and Super Chats, with activity contributing to a real-time score.
The company says Live Showdowns are coming in 2027.
YouTube is also expanding Watch With beyond live content. Creators will be able to react to eligible long-form YouTube videos with their communities during live streams, opening another format for real-time commentary.
Another major update is Live auto-dubbing, which will translate a creator’s speech in real time for viewers in other languages. YouTube says the initial rollout is planned for early 2027.
YouTube is adding new ways for creators to build communities
The comments experience is also getting several changes. YouTube says viewers will be able to use GIFs in comments on mobile and respond to comments from TVs using voice input.
Creators will also receive personalized comment moderation, designed to help identify comments resembling ones they have previously removed.
For paying supporters, YouTube is introducing members-only communities, giving channel members dedicated spaces to interact and receive exclusive content. The feature is planned for early 2027.
YouTube is also expanding Hype with Jewels, allowing fans of eligible rising creators to purchase Jewels that can boost a video’s leaderboard momentum. The feature is currently available in Brazil, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
The platform additionally announced on-platform messaging and video sharing, including group chats and a casual video creation tool. YouTube says these features will launch in the U.S., U.K., Singapore, Brazil and European Union in November.
Ask Studio is becoming a bigger part of YouTube’s creator workflow
YouTube Studio is receiving some of the most significant creator-focused updates.
Ask Studio is coming to mobile, allowing creators to use YouTube’s AI-powered creative assistant while working from their phones.
The company is also developing tools that can provide feedback on scripts, hooks and titles, while helping creators generate customized titles and thumbnails. Ask Studio will also be able to analyze older videos and identify opportunities for refreshed thumbnails and renewed audience reach.
Another major addition is video A/B testing, which will eventually allow creators to upload up to three different cuts of a video or Short and compare their performance.
YouTube says creators have already conducted more than 40 million title and thumbnail experiments since its existing A/B testing feature launched in 2024.
The company is also introducing Dynamic Thumbnails, allowing eligible creators to upload up to three thumbnail options and have YouTube match different versions to audience segments.
AI-powered conversational editing is coming to Shorts
YouTube is taking AI-assisted editing further with a new conversational editing feature.
Creators will be able to start with a suggested prompt or their own instructions and then interact with the editing assistant to reorder footage, trim sections, synchronize music and refine a first draft.
The tool will be integrated into Shorts and the YouTube Create app, with a global rollout on Android and iPhone planned for early 2027.
YouTube is expanding creator monetization and brand deals
YouTube is also targeting the business side of the creator economy.
YouTube Creator Partnerships has expanded to 20 countries, while the company is testing Dynamic Brand Segments, which allow sponsorship segments in long-form videos to be updated or replaced. The feature is currently in a limited pilot in the U.S., Canada and India.
Creators will also receive a one-click code for giving brand partners access to performance information and enabling paid promotion through Creator Partnerships Boost.
YouTube says Ask Studio will eventually help creators respond to brand briefs, develop proactive pitches and customize media kits around individual brand goals.
YouTube Shopping is expanding globally
YouTube is expanding its Shopping affiliate program to 35 markets by the end of 2026.
New affiliate campaigns will allow creators to be discovered by merchants and potentially receive exclusive commission rates and bonuses for content featuring specific products.
YouTube is also automatically localizing product tags for viewers outside a creator’s home country, allowing creators to earn commissions when international viewers make qualifying purchases.
The company is further expanding its Amazon affiliate partnership, which is currently available in the U.S., India and Brazil, with additional markets planned.
Likeness detection is coming to mobile
YouTube is also expanding its tools for protecting creators from unauthorized AI-generated depictions.
Likeness detection will allow creators to enroll, receive notifications about potential matches and submit removal requests directly from the YouTube app.
YouTube is additionally introducing speaking voice detection, which can provide another signal alongside facial matching when identifying potential uses of a creator’s likeness.
The Made On YouTube 2026 announcements show the platform moving beyond video hosting toward a broader creator ecosystem, combining AI-assisted production, audience discovery, community tools, commerce and brand partnerships.
Many of the features announced this year are still rolling out, testing or planned for 2027, so availability will depend on the creator, device and market.
