YouTube Wants to Reduce AI Slop and Bring More Variety to Shorts Videos

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan detailed today the platform’s main priorities for 2026, and unsurprisingly, AI is quite a big topic. After integrating Google Veo 3 video generation models into YouTube Shorts last year, Mohan said today that creators will soon be able to create a Short using their own likeness.

YouTube continues to invest heavily in Shorts as the TikTok-like vertical videos now bring generage 200 billion daily views on average. “This year we’ll bring even more variety to Shorts by integrating different formats – like image posts – directly into the feed, making it easier to stay connected with your favorite creators,” Mohan said.

A lot of Shorts videos these days are made with AI, and Mohan also said today that more than 1M channels used YouTube’s AI creation tools daily in December. While the exec believes that generative AI technology can help creators to be more ambitious, he also stated that “AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement.”

Mohan also said that YouTube will increase its efforts to reduce the amount of “AI slop” users see on YouTube. “To reduce the spread of low quality AI content, we’re actively building on our established systems that have been very successful in combatting spam and clickbait, and reducing the spread of low quality, repetitive content,” the YouTube CEO said.

Lastly, the exec announced some upcoming updates for YouTube TV, with “fully customizable multiview”  and more flexible subscription options. The YouTube TV team recently announced the launch of cheaper, genre-specific plans in 2026, starting with a new YouTube TV Sports package.