YouTube CEO Announces AI Creation Tools, In-App Shopping For 2026 via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced the company’s priorities in his annual letter, previewing new AI creation tools, expanded shopping features, and format changes to Shorts.

AI Creation Tools

YouTube is adding three AI creation features this year. Creators will be able to make Shorts using their own likeness, produce games from text prompts through the experimental Playables program, and experiment with music creation tools.

More than 1 million channels used YouTube’s AI creation tools daily in December, according to the letter. The company also reported 20 million users learned about content through its Ask tool in December, and 6 million daily viewers watched at least 10 minutes of autodubbed content.

Mohan sees these tools as creative aids rather than replacements.

“Throughout this evolution, AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement,” he wrote.

YouTube also addressed concerns about AI-generated content quality, saying it’s building on spam and clickbait detection systems to reduce what Mohan called “AI slop.”

Shopping Expands With In-App Checkout

YouTube is pushing further into commerce with in-app checkout, letting viewers purchase products without leaving the site.

More than 500,000 creators are already in YouTube Shopping. Mohan cited creator Vineet Malhotra, who drove “millions of dollars in YouTube Shopping GMV in 2025.”

I covered YouTube’s commerce push back in September when the company announced AI-powered product tagging and automatic timestamps for shopping videos. In-app checkout is the next step, aiming to reduce the friction of sending viewers to external sites.

Brand partnership tools are expanding too. Shorts creators will be able to add links to brand sites for sponsored content, and a new feature lets creators swap out branded segments after publishing to turn back catalogs into recurring revenue.

Shorts Gets Image Posts

Image posts are coming to the Shorts feed this year. Shorts now averages 200 billion daily views, according to Mohan.

The addition brings YouTube closer to Instagram’s format, mixing static images with video in the same feed.

Parental Controls

Parental control updates announced last week let parents set time limits on Shorts scrolling for kids and teens, including setting the timer to zero. YouTube calls this an “industry first.”

How 2025 Promises Played Out

I covered Mohan’s 2025 letter when he announced TV had surpassed mobile as the primary viewing device in the U.S. That letter made similar commitments. Some shipped, others are still pending.

Auto dubbing, which he promised to expand to all YouTube Partner Program creators, rolled out. The 2026 letter says 6 million daily viewers now watch at least 10 minutes of autodubbed content. AI tools for video ideas, titles, and thumbnails launched through the Inspiration Tab last year.

YouTube TV’s multiview improvements are still coming. The 2025 letter promised enhancements; the 2026 letter says “fully customizable multiview” arrives soon. The specialized YouTube TV plans Mohan announced this year are new.

The likeness-based Shorts creation, text-to-game features, in-app checkout, and image posts in Shorts are all new to the 2026 roadmap.

Why This Matters

YouTube keeps building tools that hold users and transactions inside its ecosystem. AI creation features give creators more production options. In-app checkout gives YouTube more control over the commerce layer.

The $100 billion YouTube says it paid creators over the past four years shows the scale of its creator economy. These updates aim to keep that system growing.

Looking Ahead

Most features don’t have specific launch dates. Mohan used “this year” and “soon” throughout the letter.

Parental control updates are rolling out now. Creators in YouTube Shopping should watch for checkout integration, and those using AI tools can expect expanded options throughout 2026.