YouTube reportedly tests new music remix AI tool for Shorts
A little while ago, YouTube made headlines when it announced plans to crack down on AI-generated plagiarized content, introducing tools to combat the rise of misleading AI-driven videos on the platform.
But in an unexpected turn, YouTube has now decided to lean into AI-generated content and experiment with a new feature that lets users create AI-powered music remixes.
With this new tool, creators can choose an eligible song, describe how they’d like to "restyle" it, and modify elements like its mood or genre. In return, the AI generates a 30-second reworked version of the track, which creators can then use to make YouTube Shorts.
However, to prevent plagiarism, YouTube says the remixes will still credit the original song in the YouTube Short itself and the Shorts audio page. Additionally, each AI-generated remix will carry a label indicating that it was created using AI.
YouTube had also previously announced that it plans to compensate artists and rightsholders whose works may have been used for any of the AI features. While it's not clear exactly which record labels YouTube has worked with, Financial Times reported that the company reached out to major labels like Sony, Warner, and Universal back in June, possibly to secure permission for using their songs in AI projects, which could explain the timing of this new feature.
Right now, the feature is only available to a handful of creators and not all songs can be remixed. The Google support page that mentioned this also didn't say anything about plans to make the feature work on more songs or expand the feature to other creators.
But, given YouTube’s history of rolling out experimental features—like the recent trial of its Audio Overview tool for NotebookLM—it’s likely this remix feature will become more widely accessible in the future.
This move highlights just how far YouTube has come in embracing AI. The company has been integrating AI into nearly every aspect of its platform, so much so that it announced a feature from YouTube Shorts to YouTube where users can scroll to a new video, the same way they would with YouTube Shorts.
The video is recommended through a combination of YouTube’s AI engine and algorithm. However, since its announcement, this feature has largely missed the mark with many users.
Hopefully, this new addition doesn't also become a miss for its reported 2.5 billion monthly active users.