YouTube rolls out new AI-powered tools for Shorts creators

YouTube has officially announced the new AI-driven creation tools for generating the unique and best Shorts, according to a recent blog post by the platform.

The new features include a Photo to video converter, generative effects, and access to an AI playground for experimenting with creative outputs.

Photo to video tool

The Photo to video tool allows users to transform still images from their camera roll into animated Shorts. Users can select a photo and apply creative suggestions that add motion, such as animating landscapes, objects or group pictures.

This feature is being rolled out across the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with more regions expected to follow later in the year. For your information, it is available for free.

Both the Photo to video and generative effects are powered by Google’s Veo 2 technology. YouTube said Veo 3 would be integrated into Shorts later this summer.

The feature is currently available in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and can be accessed by tapping the create button, followed by the sparkle icon.

YouTube noted that AI-generated content will include SynthID watermarks and clear labels to indicate that it was created using artificial intelligence.

According to the blog post, the new tools are designed to make the creative process more accessible, while preserving transparency about AI use in content creation.