YouTube to make use of AI to assist podcasters promote themselves with clips and Shorts | TechCrunch

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 function that helps create movies for audio-only podcasters. Each might 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 to create clips extra simply with AI ideas, the corporate says. This might be obtainable within the “coming months,” whereas a function that may remodel these clips into YouTube Shorts will arrive early subsequent 12 months.

The addition may 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 function additionally obtainable early subsequent 12 months will assist audio podcasters flip their content material into video. Utilizing AI, these creators will be capable to generate a customizable video for his or her podcast, the corporate says. Nevertheless, the function will solely be obtainable to “select podcasters” when it launches, with a bigger growth deliberate for later in 2026.

YouTube has been extra centered on constructing out instruments for podcasters over the previous a number of years, making pods a extra outstanding function on YouTube’s house web page and its YouTube Music service alike. In the meantime, Spotify, on the similar 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, as nicely as monetization instruments.

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