YouTube has launched a new set of tools aimed at making podcasting easier and more discoverable on its platform.
The updates, revealed at the Made on YouTube event in New York on Tuesday, are designed to cut editing time, promote podcast content through short-form videos, and help audio creators expand into video.
One of the headline features is AI-assisted clipping. Creators in the United States will soon be able to generate suggested clips from their long-form video podcasts.
These clips can then be transformed into YouTube Shorts, a feature set to roll out early next year. In turning lengthy episodes into quick, digestible content, YouTube is competing against TikTok and Instagram Reels, where short videos are most used in user engagement.
Another update, expected in early 2026, will allow audio-only podcasters to generate video versions of their shows on YouTube. Using AI, creators will be able to build customised visuals to match their audio, making it possible for those without video production resources to appear on YouTube with competitive content. For now, this feature will be limited to select podcasters, with more access planned later in the year.
The company framed these developments as part of its goal to make podcasts a central part of its ecosystem. YouTube says users now stream over 100 million hours of podcasts daily, with more than 30% of that time beginning as livestreams or premieres. Earlier this year, the platform surpassed 1 billion monthly podcast viewers, topping in a space where Spotify and Apple have also been fighting for ground.
Spotify, for its part, has been adding tools such as video podcasting, polls, Q&As, and monetisation features to retain creators and audiences. But YouTube’s deep integration of podcasts into both its main platform and YouTube Music, coupled with its scale in video discovery, could give it an edge.
“YouTube has been more focused on building out tools for podcasters over the past several years, making pods a more prominent feature on YouTube’s home page and its YouTube Music service alike,” the company noted during the event.
The updates also reveal YouTube’s strategy to use AI to reduce production barriers, strengthen discovery through Shorts, and keep creators locked into its ecosystem while competing directly with TikTok’s recommendation engine and Spotify’s creator-focused innovations.
