YouTube launches its biggest live update: What’s new with AI Shorts and latest streaming tools

YouTube has unveiled what it calls its biggest update ever for YouTube Live, introducing a suite of tools and AI-powered features designed to transform the live streaming experience for creators and audiences alike. The update focuses on improving engagement, discoverability, and monetization while giving creators more control over how they broadcast. Highlights include the ability to stream simultaneously in both vertical and horizontal formats with a unified chat, AI-generated clips for Shorts, new ad formats that run alongside streams, rehearsal mode for practice, over 75 interactive Playable games, real-time mobile reactions, and flexible membership-based stream access. These changes underscore YouTube’s push to compete with platforms like Twitch and TikTok in the increasingly competitive live streaming space.