YouTube has unveiled an ambitious roadmap for 2026, detailing plans to broaden the platform’s reach across television, deepen its investment in artificial intelligence (AI), expand monetization tools for creators, and introduce new safety features for young viewers.

The strategy, outlined in a blog by YouTube Chief Executive Neal Mohan on January 21, underscores the company’s bid to redefine online entertainment and solidify its role as a cultural hub.

Mohan said creators are no longer simply uploaders of user-generated content but ‘the new stars & studios’ driving the next era of entertainment.

He highlighted how some YouTubers are building professional production operations and attracting millions of daily viewers across formats including long-form video, livestreams, podcasts and Shorts, which now average 200 billion daily views.

To support this evolution, YouTube plans to introduce several YouTube TV enhancements, including fully customizable multiview and more than 10 genre-specific subscription plans spanning sports, entertainment and news.

The moves are designed to strengthen the platform’s living-room presence and compete more directly with traditional television offerings.

Safety and family-friendly features are also being prioritised. Mohan reaffirmed YouTube’s commitment to building ‘the best place for kids and teens,’ with new tools to help parents manage viewing experiences, including industry-first controls that will let adults limit how much time children can spend scrolling Shorts.

On the creator economy front, Mohan outlined expansions in shopping and brand partnership tools. YouTube said it has paid out more than $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies over the past four years, and will roll out features like in-app checkout and improved brand deal workflows so fans can purchase products without leaving the platform.

AI figured prominently in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow-situated St. Francis College-educated Mohan’s blog.

He said more than one million channels used YouTube’s AI creation tools daily in December, and that the company will introduce features enabling creators to generate Shorts using their own likeness, produce games from simple text prompts and experiment with music. Mohan stressed that AI would remain a tool to enhance — not replace — human creativity.

At the same time, Mohan acknowledged growing concern over ‘AI slop,’ or low-quality AI-generated content, and said YouTube will bolster existing systems that combat spam and clickbait to preserve the quality of its feed. YouTube also plans to label AI-generated content clearly, require creators to disclose realistic altered media, and expand protections against harmful deepfakes.

Mohan concluded that the platform’s strength lies in empowering creators and connecting them with audiences and advertisers, positioning YouTube not just as a video platform but as a next-generation entertainment ecosystem.

“The most important creator of the future may be someone you’ve never heard of — and that person is starting their channel today,” he wrote.