YouTube Experiments With Images in Shorts and AI Creator Portraits

YouTube has always focused on video, but Google now wants to push the platform beyond that core format. The company has confirmed a new experiment that introduces image-based posts directly into the Shorts feed, signaling a notable shift in how creators can reach audiences.

Image posts coming to the Shorts feed

As part of the test, YouTube plans to surface image posts created using the Create button inside the Shorts feed. During the experiment, all eligible image posts may appear alongside short-form videos, giving creators another way to gain visibility without publishing video content.

Creators can include up to 10 images or animated GIFs in a single post, making the feature closer to carousel-style social updates seen on other platforms. At launch, image posts do not support background audio, but YouTube plans to add audio support in a future update.

AI-powered Portraits feature explained

In parallel, YouTube continues to expand its AI efforts with a feature called Portraits. This tool lets users interact with an AI representation of a creator, designed to answer questions and guide viewers toward topics related to that creator’s content.

The feature focuses on helping creators understand audience interests while giving viewers a more interactive way to explore creator-focused topics.

Limited testing and availability

YouTube has onboarded a small group of creators to test Portraits. If you are 18 or older and live in the United States, you may already see a Talk to Creator’s Portrait option on the desktop version of YouTube.

For now, YouTube has not shared details about a wider rollout or a public release timeline. These experiments suggest the platform is actively exploring new formats and engagement tools as competition across social platforms continues to grow.

In other news, Microsoft is promoting Edge on Chrome’s download page in an attempt to prevent users from switching.

Via Neowin