YouTube Gives Creators New AI Powers

YouTube announced a new feature that will let creators make short videos using AI versions of their own faces and bodies sometime this year. YouTube's leader Neal Mohan said creators can use these digital versions of themselves to star in new videos without needing to film every shot in person. This sounds exciting because a creator could film themselves once, then use that digital copy to make dozens of videos without spending hours in front of a camera. The company also mentioned other new AI tools coming soon, like automatic translation that makes videos sound natural in different languages and AI that helps creators understand what videos perform best. However, this raises important questions: Who owns the digital copy of a creator's face? If someone steals that digital version, what happens? Creators and viewers worldwide will need clear answers about these issues.

Adobe Creates Special AI That Protects Artists' Work

Adobe is building new AI systems called Firefly Foundry that only use creative work that the artist actually owns, unlike other AI systems that sometimes use artwork from the internet without asking. Many artists worry that companies used their paintings, music, and writing to train AI without permission or payment. Adobe's new approach means entertainment studios and creative teams can build their own custom AI trained only on their own content. This keeps artists' work from being used without permission. Adobe is also working with talent agencies and teaching schools how to use AI in ways that respect artists' rights. This shows one way companies can use AI while still treating creative professionals fairly.

Scientists Discover AI Can Match Average Human Creativity

Researchers tested several AI systems including ChatGPT and Claude against 100,000 real human participants to see who was more creative. The results surprised many people: some AI systems now score as highly as average humans on creativity tests, especially when solving problems with words. However, the most talented artists and creative thinkers still beat AI systems clearly. A scientist studying this research explained that AI should be a tool to help humans create better work, not a replacement for human artists. He said: "AI will not replace creators, but profoundly transform how they imagine, explore, and create." This means AI might help artists work faster and try new ideas, but humans will likely stay the most creative force for many years.

Creative Workers Worldwide Demand Protections and Fair Pay

Creators from music, film, literature, writing, and visual arts in many countries are pushing governments to create new rules that protect their work from being used by AI companies without permission or payment. The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, which represents over 5 million creators in 116 countries, warns that AI companies are appropriating creative work at a scale never before possible. One of the biggest concerns: revenues from AI-powered music and video are expected to reach 9 billion euros by 2028, but most creators see none of this money. Musicians, authors, and artists argue that companies should be required to ask permission before training AI on someone's creative work and creators should get paid every time their work trains a new AI system. In the United States, the state of California's attorney general ordered a company called xAI to stop its system from creating explicit AI images without people's permission, showing that governments are starting to take these concerns seriously.

Agentic AI Systems Are Changing How Businesses Work

Big companies are building intelligent AI agents that can make decisions and perform tasks without humans watching every step. These agentic AI systems are moving from just giving suggestions to actually taking action on their own. For example, retailers are using AI agents to automatically decide pricing and which products to stock in stores based on what customers want. While this helps businesses move faster, the advertising industry decided that AI agents should never have complete control over spending money without human approval, showing that some limits are needed. These automated systems will likely change many types of work, which is both exciting and scary for creative professionals. Creators worry that if AI agents make decisions about which artwork gets promoted or paid for, humans might lose control over their own careers.

What This Means for the Future of Creativity

The creative industries face a critical moment where new AI technologies are reshaping how art, music, and stories are made and shared. While AI can now do creative work at the level of average humans, the most important question is how these tools will be controlled and who will benefit from them. Creators worldwide are working together to demand that governments create rules protecting artists' rights, requiring permission before using creative work for AI training, and making sure creators get paid fairly. Many creative professionals believe understanding AI rather than just opposing it is the path forward, and that AI can be a powerful tool if it's built in ways that respect artists. The coming years will show whether creative industries can shape how AI develops or whether big technology companies will control the technology completely.