YouTube AI Helps Podcasters Create Clips & Shorts for Promotion
▼ Summary
– YouTube introduced new AI-powered tools for podcasters, including features to turn video podcasts into clips and Shorts, and to create videos for audio-only podcasters.
– AI will help video podcast creators in the U.S. generate clips more easily starting in the coming months, with a feature to convert clips into YouTube Shorts arriving early next year.
– These tools aim to help YouTube compete with short-form video apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels, while driving user engagement and subscriptions to podcasters.
– Audio podcasters will gain an AI feature early next year to generate customizable videos, initially available to select creators with wider expansion planned for 2026.
– YouTube has surpassed 1 billion monthly podcast viewers, with users consuming over 100 million hours of podcasts daily as of July 2025, over 30% of which start as livestreams or premieres.
YouTube is rolling out a suite of AI-powered tools designed to help podcasters expand their reach by transforming content into engaging clips and Shorts. Announced at the Made on YouTube event in New York, these features aim to simplify content repurposing while boosting discoverability across the platform.
Creators in the U.S. will soon gain access to AI-assisted clip creation, which suggests compelling moments from video podcasts that can be turned into shareable segments. This functionality is expected to launch in the coming months, with an additional tool arriving early next year that automatically converts those clips into vertical YouTube Shorts. By streamlining this process, YouTube hopes to strengthen its position in the short-form video space and drive more traffic to full-length podcast episodes.
For audio-only podcasters, a separate AI feature will generate customizable videos to accompany their episodes. Set to debut for a limited group early next year, this tool will broaden access throughout 2026, enabling creators to produce visual content without additional recording. This move aligns with YouTube’s broader strategy to become a central hub for podcast consumption and creation.
The platform has steadily increased its investment in podcasting over recent years, integrating podcasts more visibly on the homepage and within YouTube Music. These efforts appear to be paying off: as of July 2025, users are consuming over 100 million hours of podcasts daily on YouTube, with more than 30% of that viewing beginning with a livestream or premiere. This growth comes amid rising competition from services like Spotify, which has been enhancing its own podcast offerings with video support and interactive features.
(Source: TechCrunch)
