Why the Future of Creativity on YouTube Will Be Creator-Led, AI-Powered, and Fandom-Driven
When Neal Mohan took the stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this week, he wasn’t just there to reflect on YouTube’s 20-year journey. He had something bigger in mind — a vision for where it’s all heading. According to Mohan, the future of creativity on YouTube belongs to creators. Not production houses. Not traditional networks. Just people with stories to tell, communities to build, and the grit to make it happen.
Over the last two decades, YouTube has become more than just a video platform. It’s now a cultural engine. It’s where trends begin, where movements catch fire, and where the line between creator and audience is constantly blurred. And what started with grainy, unfiltered clips has grown into something far more powerful.
From Bedroom Setups to Stadium Crowds
Mohan looked back on YouTube’s early days, when creators filmed from bedrooms and pieced together content with basic tools. That DIY spirit hasn’t disappeared — it’s scaled up. Today’s creators are building studios, launching businesses, and producing full-on documentaries.
He pointed to Inoxtag, a French creator who wanted to film his journey climbing Mount Everest. He didn’t just vlog it — he assembled a full crew with screenwriters, editors, and a director. His debut documentary drew 17 million views within 48 hours and ran in cinemas across France. Stories like his show just how far creators have come.
Then there are the Sidemen. What started as a group of friends making gaming videos is now a multimedia empire. They’ve opened a retail store, launched a food brand, and filled Wembley Stadium with fans for their annual charity match, joining the ranks of music superstars like Taylor Swift and BTS.
YouTube Is Becoming the New TV
YouTube isn’t trying to be television. In many ways, it’s already what television wants to be. Mohan shared that viewers now watch over a billion hours of YouTube on their TVs every single day. For more than half of the top 100 channels, TV screens are where they get the most attention.
That shift has creators thinking differently. They’re serializing content, experimenting with format, and focusing on what resonates, not what fits into a programming grid. Shows like The Broski Report are tapping into this shift by combining pop culture, personality, and high-quality production. But it still feels authentic. Still feels like YouTube.
Podcasts, Shorts, and Culture on Loop
Podcasts are another area exploding on the platform. One billion people watch them on YouTube every month. And unlike traditional podcast networks, creators here are often producing video-first experiences that drive fan engagement. Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date is a standout example — a show that was once turned down by broadcasters, only to become a massive hit on YouTube.
Stephanie Soo’s Rotten Mango has seen similar success. After incorporating video into her podcast, she gained over two million new subscribers and now ranks on YouTube’s official podcast charts.
Meanwhile, YouTube Shorts are rewriting the playbook on short-form content. With more than 200 billion daily views, Shorts have become the entry point for countless new creators — and the place where fans remix, react, and spark viral waves. It’s not just about watching. It’s about being part of something.
Fans Are More Than Viewers — They’re Creators Too
Mohan emphasized that YouTube fandoms aren’t just along for the ride. They’re actively shaping the culture. The animated series The Amazing Digital Circus pulled in hundreds of millions of views, but the real surprise came from the fan response. Reaction videos, memes, edits, and fan art around the show racked up more than 25 billion additional views.
This kind of energy is turning fandom into its own creative force. Fans don’t just consume. They co-create. They remix, reframe, and add new layers to every piece of content. And nowhere is that more visible than on YouTube.
AI Is Here — And It’s Helping Creators, Not Replacing Them
One of the biggest shifts coming to YouTube is happening behind the scenes: AI. Mohan doesn’t see it as a threat. He sees it as a set of tools that are breaking down barriers and unlocking new possibilities for creators.
Auto Dubbing, for example, is already translating videos into multiple languages. In just six months, over 20 million videos have been dubbed, helping creators reach global audiences without changing a single frame.
Then there’s Veo — Google DeepMind’s video generation model. It allows creators to generate AI-powered backgrounds and clips for Shorts. The next version, Veo 3, will roll out this summer, bringing sharper video quality and audio capabilities.
For creators working with limited resources, these tools can be game-changers. They won’t replace human ideas. They’ll help those ideas take shape faster, and with more polish.
Looking Ahead
So what’s next? Mohan’s vision is bold. He believes creators will lead the next wave of entertainment. They’ll rewrite formats, blur the lines between genres, and continue to build influence beyond the screen, as entrepreneurs, cultural icons, and storytellers with real reach.
He also sees fandom becoming even more central. These communities don’t just follow culture — they drive it. And as AI evolves, it’ll give more people the power to participate in that process, regardless of language, background, or technical skill.
In a time when everyone’s competing for attention, YouTube’s strength lies in its depth. It’s where creators can be themselves, where fans can belong, and where the future of creativity on YouTube is being shaped one upload at a time.
And according to Mohan, the best is still to come.
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