• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, June 19, 2025

YouTube has supported creators for years, most recently building on the platform to accommodate more ads.

Brands could find even more attractive options -- especially now as Google, the video site’s parent company, builds in additional artificial intelligence (AI) video capabilities.

As YouTube prepares today for one of the biggest video conferences of the year in Anaheim, California, its CEO Neal Mohan announced at the Cannes Lions festival this week that Google’s Veo 3 AI video generator will integrate with YouTube Shorts later this summer.

Mohan’s blog post accompanying the announcement states that “today, creators are the startups of Hollywood.”

At Cannes, Mohan said YouTube will offer an integration with Google's Veo 3, an AI-generation model. "I believe these tools will open new creative lanes for everyone to explore," Mohan said, as the company celebrates 20 years of YouTube.

Shorts have seen a rise in popularity and creators are flocking to what YouTube calls the “biggest screen in the house.”

The streaming platform is the most-watched source of video, according to some statistics, but Shorts has seen a 186% increase in viewership during the past year. Mohan estimates Shorts averages 200 billion daily views.

Mohan also touted the entrepreneurship on YouTube. Inoxtag, a creator in France, wanted the world to see him climb Mount Everest. He assembled a full crew of screenwriters, graphic artists, and a lead director.

Last year, his debut documentary, "Kaizen," premiered in cinemas across the country and on YouTube, where it racked up 17 million views in less than 48 hours.

In 2013, a group of creators came together over a love for gaming and called themselves the Sidemen. Today, they’re one of YouTube’s largest collectives with more than 150 million subscribers across their channels.

They have created merchandise lines, opened a physical store, established a fast-food chain, and more. Every year, they compete against other creators in the Sidemen Charity Match. This year, they sold out Wembley Stadium like Taylor Swift, and Ed Sheeran.

YouTube Shorts initially had been intended for short video content of 30 seconds maximum, but has since been increased to 60 seconds. The length could also change with the integration of Veo 3.

Google began working late last year with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to develop and test AI tools that can detect and manage deepfakes — images that feature faces or likenesses of well-known individuals. Variety reported the partnership has been “touted as the first partnership of its kind.”

VidCon Anaheim 2025 takes place starting today in Anaheim California and will likely have updates. Creator and industry tracks start this weekend.