YouTube has announced a large set of new features for creators at its Made on YouTube 2026 event. The company announced more than 30 updates covering video creation, discovery, community management, monetization and brand partnerships.
Some of the more interesting updates include episodic Shorts, AI-powered editing, new tools inside YouTube Studio, automated thumbnail testing, better protection against AI-generated copies and new shopping features. YouTube is rolling out some of these features now, while others will arrive over the coming months or in 2027.
Shorts can now become episodic series
YouTube is introducing a new way for creators to turn their Shorts into proper series. Creators can organize multiple Shorts into a show and add custom thumbnails through YouTube Studio on desktop.
Viewers watching a Short will see a dedicated “watch series” button. Tapping it will take them to the series feed, where they can watch the episodes in sequence.
The feature works across mobile, desktop and TV and is rolling out globally.
This could be useful for creators who already publish recurring Shorts but currently have to rely on playlists or individual videos to organize them.
YouTube is adding conversational AI editing
YouTube is also working on a conversational editing feature for Shorts and the YouTube Create app. Creators will be able to select their raw photos and video clips and ask YouTube to create a first draft. They can either use a suggested prompt or provide their own instructions.
Once the first draft is ready, creators can continue chatting with the editing system to make changes. It can suggest or perform tasks such as trimming quiet sections, rearranging clips, improving pacing and adding on-screen text.
Creators can still make manual edits whenever they want.
The feature will roll out globally on Android and iPhone starting in early 2027.
Ask Studio can help with titles, scripts and thumbnails
YouTube Studio is getting a major upgrade with a new AI feature called Ask Studio. It will act as an AI assistant inside YouTube Studio and can provide feedback on video titles, structure, scripts and pacing before a creator publishes a video.
Ask Studio will also help creators find new opportunities in their older videos. YouTube says it can help identify old videos that could reach a fresh audience by suggesting new thumbnails and testing different versions.
The feature will be available on iPhone and Android soon.
YouTube is also adding new Insights and Research destinations in Studio. These will help creators understand channel performance and find unusual or high-performing videos that could provide ideas for future content.
YouTube will test multiple thumbnails
Another useful update is video A/B testing. Creators will be able to test different versions of their videos to see which one performs better with their audience. YouTube is also working on a feature that will allow creators to upload up to three thumbnails for a single video.
YouTube will then show different thumbnails to different audiences and determine which one performs best.
This could make thumbnail testing much easier for creators who currently have to use third-party tools or manually change thumbnails.
Personalized comment moderation
YouTube is also making comment management easier with a new optional moderation tool. The feature learns from the comments a creator has manually removed in the past. It can then identify similar incoming comments and move them to the Held tab for review.
Creators will also receive a seven-day summary of these comments.
Importantly, YouTube says comments will not be automatically deleted without the creator’s approval. The feature will initially launch as an experiment on desktop through YouTube Studio later this year.
YouTube expands likeness protection to voices
As AI-generated content becomes more realistic, YouTube is also expanding its tools for protecting creators’ likenesses.
YouTube already has a likeness detection system that helps creators manage unauthorized uses of their appearance. The company is now adding speaking voice detection.
The voice system will work alongside facial detection to improve matching accuracy and help identify synthetic content that uses a creator’s appearance and voice.
YouTube will also bring likeness detection directly to the mobile app, allowing creators to set up, review and manage the protection from their phones.
The voice detection expansion is expected to begin later this year.
Live streams are getting more interactive
YouTube also announced several new features for live streaming. The company is testing real-time automatic dubbing for live streams, initially in English and Spanish. The feature is expected to begin as a pilot early next year.
YouTube is also testing Live showdowns, which can turn fan funding into split-screen co-streaming experiences for community gameplay.
The existing Watch With feature is also being expanded beyond live content to eligible regular videos.
YouTube makes sponsorships easier to manage
YouTube is expanding its Creator Partnerships tools to help creators work with brands. YouTube Creator Partnerships is now available across 20 countries. It allows brands to discover creators for potential campaigns.
Soon, Ask Studio will also be able to help creators prepare custom sponsorship proposals and respond to brand briefs.
YouTube is also introducing a one-click code that creators can share with partners. This allows partners to view video performance and run paid media campaigns behind creator content through Creator Partnerships Boost.
YouTube Shopping expands to India
YouTube is expanding its Shopping affiliate program to 35 markets by the end of the year. The company is also launching its Amazon partnership in India and Brazil, with additional markets planned later.
Another useful change is automatic localization of product tags. This means creators can potentially earn commissions when viewers in other countries purchase products featured in their videos.
YouTube is also introducing Affiliate Campaigns, which will allow brands to find creators and send targeted invitations with flat fees and exclusive commission rates.
For viewers, YouTube is adding Ask YouTube across mobile, desktop and TV. It will offer a conversational way to discover and learn more about products tagged in videos.
Image posts are coming to more YouTube surfaces
YouTube is also expanding where creators can use image posts and carousels. On mobile, image posts and carousels can now appear directly in the Shorts feed. This gives creators another way to reach viewers without producing a full video.
YouTube is also bringing image posts to TV channel pages. The feature will roll out to the YouTube TV app in select markets over the coming months.
More creator tools are coming
YouTube says the new features will roll out in phases. Some are already available, while others will arrive later this year, in 2027 or initially as limited experiments.
