YouTube announced a new set of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools for video content creators.

The generative AI video content creation space is already on fire thanks to platforms like HeyGen, invideo and Lumen5 entering the market. AI features appearing directly on YouTube means AI video is just getting started.

So what exactly are these features, and what larger impact will they have on the creator community? Let’s dive in.

Understanding YouTube’s New AI Features

As reported by The Verge, YouTube has rolled out a set of generative AI tools. These tools include:

1. “Dream Screen” — A new feature called Dream Screen will create AI-generated videos and photos that creators can place in the background of their YouTube Shorts. Creators type in prompts to generate the background assets.
2. “AI Insights” — New features coming to YouTube Studio will use generative AI to suggest video ideas and draft outlines. These content suggestions will be personalized for each YouTube channel and based on audience engagement. According to YouTube, 70% of creators in the beta found the features helpful in content planning.
3. “YouTube Create” — While not technically all AI, this new mobile video editing app is worth mentioning. It gives content creators a simple editor they can use to quickly polish YouTube shorts content.
4. “Assistive Search in Creator Music “–This feature will help creators find music soundtracks for their content with AI-assisted search. Simply type in a description of your content and AI will suggest appropriate music.
5. Automatic dubbing with Aloud: If you localize your content for different regions, YouTube is introducing a helpful tool called “Aloud.” This AI-driven dubbing tool is designed to empower creators, making their content accessible to viewers worldwide.

These features are poised to make content creation easy for new video creators and more efficient for creators with established YouTube channels.

The Rise of AI-Generated Video Content

So what do these updates mean in the broader context of the creator economy?

Text-to-video tools lower the barrier to entry for creators

Standalone AI-video content creation tools like Heygen, Lumen5 and InVideo are already making it easier for people to create videos.

For example, Lumen5 allows you to import blog posts and it will automatically create video footage treating your blog post like an outline or script.

People are using these tools to make videos for platforms like YouTube and TikTok, lowering the barrier to entry for creators who might not have had video content creation skills previously.

For example, tools like Adobe Premiere were the primary way videos were edited before. These tools have steep learning curves far beyond importing a blog post and popping out a video like with these AI platforms.

That is no longer the case. Now anyone can create video content with a few clicks.

As with AI writing platforms like ChatGPT, the highest quality content will still be created by professional creators. However, the quality new video content creators can achieve with these tools is far better than anything that was possible previously.

On-Platform AI Content Creation Tools

I’ve written previously about how established platforms like Adobe, Canva and HubSpot have added AI content creation tools.

YouTube’s announcements are the lastest example of this trend—a trend I think we will see more of. I wouldn’t be surprised to see TikTok and Snapchat make similar updates to keep pace.

Creator Economy Outcomes

The AI video trend will play out in several ways in my opinion:

1. More people will be able to create video content thanks to dedicated AI video content creation tools and new AI features on existing platforms like YouTube. Anyone with a newsletter, blog or social media following can now translate their existing content into video format.
2. Short form video will continue to skyrocket in popularity fueled by TikTok’s on-platform tools and YouTubes new competitive products, like YouTube Create.
3. Existing creators will be able to maintain their competitive advantages by leveraging these tools to make their production workflows more efficient. They will maintain their high quality bar and have more time for strategy and community engagement with their established audiences.
4. The average quality of video content on the internet will go up as tools that make polished-looking videos easier to create proliferate the market.

Final Thoughts

YouTube’s new AI features exemplify another major platform integrating AI into its offering.

The video content creation segment of the creator economy in particular stands to see further disruption, as dedicated AI video platforms are already bringing a plethora of AI-created content to YouTube and TikTok.

Look for existing creators to refine their production workflows and new creators to leverage these tools to quickly scale new YouTube channels.