New AI video features launched at YouTube event

During the recent ‘Made on YouTube’ event, several new features were announced, with the highlight being the integration of AI into YouTube Shorts. The company is incorporating Google DeepMind’s AI video generation model, Veo, first introduced at Google’s I/O 2024. This integration will allow creators to generate high-quality backgrounds and six-second video clips in various cinematic styles. Veo is capable of producing 1080p clips and is positioned to compete with similar AI tools from OpenAI, Runway, and others. It is considered an upgrade to YouTube‘s Dream Screen, launched in 2023, and is intended to enhance the content creation process by making it smoother and more dynamic.

The new Veo-powered feature in Dream Screen allows creators to choose from AI-generated images and convert them into short video clips, enabling smoother transitions in content creation. This tool is expected to enhance storytelling on Shorts, for instance, by adding cityscapes or filler scenes to enrich the narrative. The resulting videos will be watermarked using DeepMind’s SynthID technology to indicate that they are AI-produced content.

YouTube has introduced new features to improve user interaction in addition to the Veo update. One of these features is “Jewels,” which allows viewers to send digital items to creators during livestreams, similar to TikTok’s gifting option. The platform has also expanded its automatic dubbing tool to cover more languages and is testing more expressive voice dubbing. Furthermore, YouTube has added AI brainstorming tools for video ideas, AI-generated thumbnails, and AI-assisted comments to help creators engage more effectively with their audiences.