Google introduces AI-generated avatars to YouTube Shorts

A new feature that allows you to create an AI avatar in your image is now available on YouTube. First, in a blog post published earlier this year, avatars are designed for use in Shorts (provided they appear), allowing you to insert yourself into video content in a way that YouTube considers safe and secure.

YouTube’s approach to combating the Internet’s AI neglect and proliferation appears to be adding more and more AI features to its platform, presenting this latest addition as a tool that gives creators more control over their digital identity. Any video generated using an avatar will feature YouTube’s AI disclosure and include visible watermarks and labels like SynthID and C2PA.

YouTube has a fairly detailed article on how to create and use an avatar in the YouTube app or YouTube Create, but here’s a quick summary of how to do it using the former. Once you open AI Playground, you will take a “live selfie” which will also record your voice. You can then preview your photorealistic virtual self and continue or redo the process if you are unhappy with something. Creating an avatar in the YouTube Create app is generally similar, but you must first navigate to the My Avatar home page.

YouTube recommends holding your phone at eye level and staying centered as much as possible. Lighting is also important, as is ensuring that your entire face is visible, that you are in a quiet location, and that there are no other people in the background. You must also be an account owner to create an avatar and be over 18 years old.

Once you have an avatar you like, you simply enter a prompt and wait for the AI ​​to generate a video which, according to can last up to eight seconds. Alternatively, YouTube will also allow you to add an avatar to existing “eligible” Shorts by tapping “Remix”, then “Reimagine” with your selected avatar.

Avatars can be deleted or resumed at any time, just like any video containing your avatar. You can also limit who can remix your videos, but deleting a video containing your avatar will not also delete the original video or that avatar from your account. YouTube will automatically delete any avatar that hasn’t been used to create new video content for three years.

The new avatar feature will be rolled out gradually and is the latest in a long line of AI-centric tools and updates that YouTube has added to the platform over the last year, including for low-res videos, for creators, and for search results.