A new set of AI tools that can create videos from photos and visualise podcasts is now rolling out to YouTube creators in select countries.

YouTube is equipping its content creators with a suite of new AI tools, the Google subsidiary announced.

The new features, unveiled at a presentation this week, allow users to generate complex video content with minimal raw material. For instance, a creator can now produce a video of themselves hip-hop dancing by submitting only a single photo and a clip of a dancer. Other tools enable the insertion of AI-generated objects or characters into traditionally filmed footage.

A primary focus of these innovations is YouTube Shorts, the platform's short-form video offering that competes directly with TikTok and Instagram Reels.

The announcement also extended to podcasts, with new capabilities to automatically generate video content from audio files, effectively visualising podcast episodes. Additional AI tools will assist in translating and subtitling videos to reach broader audiences.

YouTube Chief Neal Mohan outlined the strategic importance of these developments at an event in New York on Tuesday. "New AI-powered products will shape our next 20 years", he stated, adding that artificial intelligence is not intended to replace creativity but to "foster human creativity."

The initial rollout will be available to users in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. To address potential misuse, YouTube also confirmed that a detection tool designed to identify AI-generated content and prevent the spread of deepfakes is in development and currently in a testing phase.