At its annual YouTube Impact Summit today, YouTube unveiled its latest economic impact data and a suite of new AI-powered tools, partnerships, and safety features, reaffirming its commitment to nurturing India’s creative economy and enhancing digital well-being.
Highlighting this impact, a new report from Oxford Economics revealed that YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed over ₹16,000 crores to India’s GDP last year and supported more than 930,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
Building on this impact, YouTube announced major new partnerships with the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), alongside new AI-powered tools designed to unlock creativity and connect Indians to credible information.
Gunjan Soni, Managing Director – India, YouTube, said, “Our impact isn’t just about views; it’s about livelihoods and shared economic growth. We see this when 63% of our monetizing creators agree YouTube is their primary source of revenue. Our role is to provide the infrastructure for that success. That is why, we’re forging strategic partnerships that build skills and launching new AI tools that empower the next wave of entrepreneurs – all built with our commitment to responsibility at the core.”
Speaking at the event, Hon’ble Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Annapurna Devi, said, “It is encouraging to see platforms like YouTube align with the Ministry’s core missions by creating pathways to credible information, economic independence, and digital literacy. Through a collaborative approach with platforms like YouTube to provide tools supporting entrepreneurship and a safer online experience, we are strengthening a Digital India where women can innovate and lead, and children can learn and grow, securely.”
Powering India’s Knowledge Economy
As India solidifies its position as a global hub for talent, with 98% of users in India reporting they use YouTube to gather information and knowledge, YouTube announced new initiatives that accelerate learning and help prepare the next generation of creative professionals.
Empowering the next generation of creative talent: To help empower the next wave of creative talent, YouTube will collaborate with the newly established Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT). The initiative will prepare students for careers in the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) industries through three key programs:
- Knowledge sharing, where Google will provide industry-led webinars, guest lectures, and expert workshops for IICT students.
- Establishing the Create with AI program, a new funding commitment to support innovative projects, enabling students and artists to use AI to develop new content in film, animation, and gaming.
- YouTube will provide support and share best practices to help IICT launch and grow its official YouTube channel.
Vishwas Deoskar, CEO, Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, said, “India’s creative industry is at a pivotal moment, and AI is set to redefine storytelling. This partnership with YouTube is essential to bridge the gap between the classroom and the global stage, giving our students direct access to the technology and expertise they need to lead the next wave of Indian animation, film, and gaming.”
Scaling professional medical training: In partnership with the College of Nursing at AIIMS, YouTube will bring expert-designed professional nursing courses to the platform. This initiative will make critical training on topics like Wound Care and Hospital Infection Control available to over 5,000 nursing students and practicing nurses across India, reinforcing YouTube’s role as an essential platform for public health.
Dr. Latha Venkatesan, Principal at College of Nursing, AIIMS, said, “Digital learning is a powerful tool for scaling access to quality education. This partnership with YouTube allows us to take AIIMS’ trusted curriculum beyond our campus walls and empower nurses across the country with the skills they need to deliver excellent patient care.”
Launching New Conversational AI tool: We are launching YouTube’s conversational AI tool that lets viewers ask questions and get instant answers right within the video player, making the viewing experience more engaging and educational. The feature is available in English, with Hindi coming soon.
Connecting Indians to credible health information and promoting digital well-being
With health content in India receiving over 300 billion views in India as of December 2024, YouTube continues to enhance features that promote well-being:
- Expanding First Aid Shelves: In critical moments, YouTube’s expanded First Aid shelves in English and Hindi, which appear at the top of search results, will provide easy-to-follow, credible videos across even more conditions.
- Promoting Mindful Viewing: Building on existing tools, we are now rolling out the ability for users to set a daily limit for scrolling on the Shorts feed, encouraging healthier screen habits. This is part of our commitment to youth well-being, where features like “take a break” reminders are on by default for users under 18.
Promoting and protecting India’s Creativity
YouTube is bringing new and expanded AI-powered tools to India to help creators bring their ideas to life and protect their work.
- Rolling Out ‘Edit with AI’ for creators: Now available to all creators in the YouTube Create app, this powerful tool intelligently transforms raw footage into a compelling first draft, drastically cutting down on editing time.
- Rolling Out Likeness Detection: First announced at Made on YouTube, our likeness detection technology is now rolling out in an open beta to all creators in the YouTube Partner Program. This vital safeguard helps creators monitor and request the removal of unauthorized, AI-altered videos that use their facial likeness.
Gunjan Soni added, “India is not just a market; it’s a source of global innovation and culture. The creativity we see here is extraordinary. By bringing our best AI technology and partnering with incredible institutions like IICT and AIIMS, we’re not just investing in a platform; we’re investing in the ingenuity of the Indian people. The future of the internet is being built right here, and we are proud to be a part of it.”
The announcements made today at the YouTube Impact Summit highlight the platform’s commitment to fueling India’s creator economy while investing in the tools and partnerships that promote digital well-being and access to credible information.
As India’s digital landscape continues to evolve, YouTube is positioned as a central partner in driving growth, fostering creativity, and empowering its millions of users across the country.
