During the “Made on YouTube” event, YouTube unveiled “Dream Screen,” an experimental generative AI tool designed for its Shorts video feature.
This tool swiftly generates AI-driven video or photo backgrounds based on user prompts. The move is part of Google-owned YouTube’s strategy to leverage generative artificial intelligence in its creator tools, aiming to compete with platforms like TikTok and Instagram in the thriving creator economy.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan expressed the company’s goal of democratizing content creation through generative AI. The introduction of “Dream Screen” was demonstrated by YouTube executive Matthew Simari during the event. With a simple prompt, the AI created videos featuring a dragon flying over New York City and a dog driving a car, highlighting Google’s proficiency in generative AI. This feature is primarily targeted at content creators who frequently produce Shorts, YouTube’s short-form video format launched in 2020. YouTube reported that Shorts now garners over 70 billion daily views each month from more than 2 billion signed-in users. While long-form content remains essential for creators, YouTube’s focus on Shorts is aimed at attracting new audiences.
YouTube also unveiled a new AI feature within YouTube Studio that suggests topic ideas and outlines for potential videos. These AI recommendations are personalized for individual creators and based on trending topics. Additionally, the platform will introduce an AI-powered music recommendation system that suggests suitable audio based on a creator’s video description.
Another noteworthy feature is an AI-powered dubbing tool, enabling creators to automatically dub their videos into foreign languages, broadening the reach of their content. The event also saw the introduction of the YouTube Create app, simplifying Shorts creation.
YouTube’s commitment to facilitating content creation aligns with its response to heightened competition from TikTok and Meta’s Instagram. The “Made on YouTube” event served as a platform for outlining YouTube’s long-term plans for its relationship with video creators and the music industry. Prominent figures like Robert Kyncl, former YouTube executive and current CEO of Warner Music Group, and pop star Charlie Puth, participated in discussions about AI-generated music.
Notably, tech giants like Google have increasingly focused on generative AI since the beginning of the year, capable of generating new content from text, photos, and art. This trend is exemplified by Amazon’s recent use of generative AI to enhance its Alexa voice assistant.
