YouTube to use AI to help podcasters promote themselves with clips and Shorts

On Tuesday, YouTube launched new instruments for podcasters at its Made on YouTube reside occasion in New York, together with new methods to show video podcasts into clips and YouTube Shorts, and a brand new characteristic that helps create movies for audio-only podcasters. Each will probably be powered by AI and can roll out within the months forward.

Utilizing AI know-how, video podcast creators within the U.S. will be capable of create clips extra simply with AI ideas, the corporate says. This will probably be accessible within the “coming months,” whereas a characteristic that can remodel these clips into YouTube Shorts will arrive early subsequent 12 months.

The addition might give YouTube extra fodder to compete with rival short-form video apps, like TikTok and Instagram (Reels), whereas additionally directing customers to podcasters they could discover attention-grabbing on YouTube’s bigger platform, driving subscriptions and engagement.

In the meantime, one other new characteristic additionally accessible early subsequent 12 months will assist audio podcasters flip their content material into video. Utilizing AI, these creators will be capable of generate a customizable video for his or her podcast, the corporate says. Nonetheless, the characteristic will solely be accessible to “choose podcasters” when it launches, with a bigger enlargement deliberate for later in 2026.

YouTube has been extra targeted on constructing out instruments for podcasters over the previous a number of years, making pods a extra outstanding characteristic on YouTube’s house web page and its YouTube Music service alike. In the meantime, Spotify, on the identical time, has been inching into its market with added help for video podcasts and different engagement options for podcasters, like feedback, polls, and Q&As, in addition to monetization instruments.

In February, the corporate introduced YouTube had surpassed 1 billion month-to-month podcaster viewers. At this time, YouTube introduced that customers, as of July 2025, now eat over 100 million hours of podcasts each day, with greater than 30% of these hours beginning as a livestream or premiere.