YouTube is preparing to launch an artificial intelligence tool that will allow creators to edit videos by giving instructions through a chat interface.
The video sharing platform announced the new feature at its Made on YouTube event on Wednesday, as it unveiled a range of tools designed to simplify video creation and management. The new conversational editing tool will allow creators to use natural language to make changes to both short and long form videos. Instead of manually making every adjustment on an editing timeline, creators will be able to describe what they want the AI to change and receive suggested edits.
The tool can help creators select footage, rearrange frames, trim pauses, synchronise music with the beat and improve the pacing of a video. Creators can also use the tool to add text overlays, music and transitions while continuing the editing process through a conversation with the AI. YouTube demonstrated the feature during the event using footage from YouTuber Happy Kelli. In the demonstration, Kelli provided footage of herself dancing in different outfits and asked the AI to select the strongest take for each outfit before adding music and transitions.
“A one-hour shoot can be 10 hours or more in the edit. So, what if we could speed that process along without sacrificing any of our creative control?” Kelli said.
The feature is designed to reduce the amount of time creators spend on repetitive editing tasks while allowing them to remain involved in decisions about the final video. YouTube said creators will not be locked into AI generated edits. They can move between the conversational editing assistant and the traditional editing timeline to make further changes manually.
“If at any point I want even more control, I can jump back into the editing timeline and manually adjust things myself,” Kelli said.
The creator also described the tool as an editing partner that works alongside users rather than taking complete control of the creative process.
“Overall, conversational editing turns the process of editing into a literal conversation with an infinitely patient helper. It’s a collaborative partner that edits with you, not for you.”
YouTube said the tool will be available for Shorts and the YouTube Create app in early 2027. The company said the new feature builds on its wider integration of Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence technology into its creator tools. YouTube said hundreds of thousands of channels used its AI features in Shorts and the YouTube Create app each day in August 2026.
The platform is also expanding AI tools across YouTube Studio to help creators with research, video feedback, thumbnails and audience engagement. Another planned feature will allow creators to test up to three different versions of a video to determine which opening performs better with viewers. The latest developments reflect YouTube’s broader push to use AI across the video creation process, from developing ideas and editing footage to packaging content and managing audiences.
For creators, the conversational editing feature could reduce some of the time spent on routine production while preserving the option to make detailed changes manually.
