YouTube is giving podcasters new ways to grow their audience with a set of AI-powered tools unveiled at its Made on YouTube live event in New York on Tuesday. The features will help creators transform podcasts into shareable video formats, making it easier to compete with rivals like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
For video podcasters in the U.S., YouTube will introduce AI-driven clip suggestions in the coming months, allowing creators to quickly turn key podcast moments into shorter highlights. Early next year, those clips can also be transformed into YouTube Shorts, boosting discoverability across the platform’s short-form ecosystem.
Meanwhile, a new feature designed for audio-only podcasters will allow them to generate customizable videos for their shows using AI. The rollout will begin early next year with a limited group of podcasters, followed by a broader expansion in 2026.
The move underscores YouTube’s push to make podcasts more accessible and engaging on its platform. The company has already elevated podcasts by giving them prominent placement on the YouTube homepage and within YouTube Music. This strategy positions the platform to better compete with Spotify, which has been expanding its podcast features with polls, comments, Q&As, and monetization options.
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YouTube also shared updated metrics: as of July 2025, users consume over 100 million hours of podcasts daily, with more than 30% of that viewing starting from a livestream or premiere. Back in February, YouTube reported surpassing 1 billion monthly podcast viewers, signaling strong growth in the podcasting space.
