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YouTube CEO Neal Mohan confirmed during the Cannes Lions keynote that more AI‑Generated Shorts are on the horizon. He announced that Veo 3, YouTube’s next-gen AI video model, will be fully integrated into Shorts later this summer, allowing this crossover.
AI-Generated Shorts Powered by Veo 3
Veo 3 expands on its predecessor’s tools by adding audio generation and significantly improved visuals. It promises to create more polished AI-generated Shorts, potentially making it easier for creators to produce dynamic, auto-generated clips without elaborate setups. Mohan emphasized improved output quality and audio syncing.
“My bet for the next 20 years? Creators will flip formats, blend genres, and push deeper into the mainstream — as brand ambassadors, big business ventures and visionary storytellers. Communities will continue to surprise us with the power of their collective fandom. And cutting-edge AI technology will push the limits of human creativity,” he added.
Scale of AI-generated Shorts Adoption
YouTube is already seeing massive engagement with Shorts—now averaging over 200 billion views daily. Mohan believes this burst in consumption makes it ideal timing to introduce Veo 3 enhancements. Injecting AI Shorts could further turbocharge user engagement and creator output.
While it could boost discovery, some creators worry it might overshadow original work. The concern is that viewers might engage less deeply with full videos, hurting watch time and revenue. Some experts warn that AI summaries, though useful if introduced for longer videos, may dilute the unique personality and effort behind full uploads.
What This Means for the YouTube Ecosystem
The introduction of AI-generated content could change how audiences engage with video:
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For casual viewers, bite-sized summaries could enhance discovery and retention.
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For content creators, this may require adapting i.e., crafting videos that still shine in AI-extracted clips.
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YouTube’s algorithm may now signal-match creative style in addition to original content.
Transfer of attention from full videos to AI-generated segments may prompt creators to rethink how they structure intros and highlights.
