YouTube Introduces 'Veo' AI And 'Hype' To Help Small Creators Flourish

YouTube has evolved far beyond a simple video-streaming platform, becoming a hub for vast communities around the world.

As part of a global culture and phenomenon, YouTube not only generates significant revenue for Google but also enables many creative individuals to make a living. Google should never overlook the countless small creators who contribute to making YouTube the platform that people love.

And because of this, during its Made On YouTube 2024, the streaming platform brings a bunch of goodies.

First of, is bringing Google's 'Veo' to YouTube..

The feature is essentially an AI that can help creators add AI-generated backgrounds to their videos as well as use written prompts to generate stand-alone, six-second video clips.

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said he hopes Veo will enable creators to produce more Shorts videos with the help of AI.

Mohan, speaking at the Made on YouTube event in New York, said that:

The Veo-powered AI backgrounds represent an upgrade over a similar AI generation feature announced by YouTube in 2023 called Dream Screen.

The company stated that the Veo AI background feature will roll out later this 2024, while the six-second AI clips are set to become available in 2025.

Another AI-powered feature will allow creators to use AI to generate titles, thumbnails, and video ideas, which are planned for a later launch in 2024.

In the past, a lot of YouTube content creators were exploring various ways to leverage generative AI technology. Creators have used the emerging technology to do things, like inserting clips into their videos, or produce new videos entirely made by AI.

However, some creators expressed concerns that their videos on YouTube are used to train the AI models that built Veo.

There has been criticism that the internet and social media platforms in general have become overrun by spammy, AI-generated content. There are also concerns that AI-generated content could violate intellectual property protections.

YouTube’s AI-generated content will be watermarked and will have a label indicating it was created by AI, the company said.

Generative AI places a new perspective on the creator economy, giving creators free access to tools utilized by large language models.

We "really sit at the nexus of that technology and creativity," Mohan said. "Putting those two things together gives us this unique lens that everything we build is really about enhancing that human creativity."

The next small creator-focused update YouTube is introducing, is called 'Hype'.

Hype is a feature designed to empower emerging creators and help them connect with new audiences.

The feature allows fans to "hype" videos from creators with fewer than 500,000 subscribers within the first seven days of their release. Each user can hype up to three videos per week, and the more hype a video receives, the higher it climbs on a leaderboard showcasing the top 100 hyped videos of the week.

This initiative addresses the visibility challenges smaller creators face by incorporating a "small creator bonus," which helps level the playing field against larger channels.

In a blog post, Jessica Locke, Product Manager at YouTube said that it's like "giving fans a stake in the success of their favorite emerging creators."

In initial beta tests across Turkey, Taiwan, and Brazil, Hype received over 5 million hypes, particularly among users aged 18 to 24, demonstrating a strong desire for fans to actively support their favorite creators.

With a focus on simplicity and user feedback, Hype aims to create a more engaging viewing experience and foster community involvement.

YouTube plans to expand this feature to more markets, empowering even more creators to connect with wider audiences and thrive on the platform.