YouTube pegs its contribution to the Indian economy at Rs 16,000 cr, launches new AI tools

New Delhi: YouTube on Monday announced a fresh set of AI tools, safety features and institutional partnerships for India, alongside new data that pegs the platform’s contribution to the country’s economy at over Rs 16,000 crore.

At its annual YouTube Impact Summit, the company released an Oxford Economics report that estimates that YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed more than Rs 16,000 crore to India’s GDP in the last year and supported over 9.3 lakh full-time equivalent jobs. The study also found that 63% of monetising creators consider YouTube their primary source of revenue.

“Our impact isn't just about views; it’s about livelihoods and shared economic growth,” said Gunjan Soni, Managing Director – India, YouTube. “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.”

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi, who addressed the summit, said it was encouraging to see platforms like YouTube align with the government’s priorities around credible information, economic independence and digital literacy. She said that by collaborating with platforms such as YouTube to provide entrepreneurship tools and a safer online environment, the government was strengthening a Digital India “where women can innovate and lead, and children can learn and grow, securely.”

New partnerships with IICT and AIIMS

To support India’s “knowledge economy”, YouTube announced a collaboration with the newly established Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) to train students for careers in animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality (AVGC-XR).

Under the partnership, Google will run industry-led webinars, guest lectures and expert workshops for IICT students. YouTube will also back a “Create with AI” funding programme to support student and artist projects that use AI to develop new content in film, animation and gaming, and will help IICT launch and scale its official YouTube channel.

“India’s creative industry is at a pivotal moment, and AI is set to redefine storytelling,” said Vishwas Deoskar, CEO, Indian Institute of Creative Technologies. “This partnership with YouTube is essential to bridge the gap between the classroom and the global stage.”

YouTube has also tied up with the College of Nursing at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to host professional nursing courses on the platform. Expert-designed modules on topics such as wound care and hospital infection control will be made available to more than 5,000 nursing students and practising nurses across India, extending AIIMS’ curriculum beyond its campus.

Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said, "India's culture is our greatest treasure, and digital platforms like YouTube are our greatest tool to share it. When creators showcase our regional arts, highlight the work of local artisans, or guide viewers through our historic monuments, they become digital ambassadors for our heritage. This synergy is crucial for advancing India's creative economy and showcasing our rich cultural tapestry to a global audience.  Together, we are building a vibrant creative economy and ensuring India’s rich heritage continues to inspire the world."

AI tools to boost creation and learning

Detailing its AI roadmap for India, YouTube said it is rolling out the ‘Edit with AI’ feature in the YouTube Create app to all creators in the country. The tool analyses raw footage on a creator’s phone and automatically assembles a first draft by selecting key moments, adding music, transitions and even voice-overs in English or Hindi, including stylised options such as cricket commentary and shayari.

YouTube said AI-generated elements would continue to carry SynthID watermarks and clear labels to indicate that they were created with AI, in line with its transparency policies.

On the viewing side, YouTube is introducing a conversational AI feature within the video player that allows users in India to ask questions and get instant answers without pausing or leaving the video. Viewers can, for instance, request a list of ingredients from a cooking video, surface related content recommendations or go deeper into a topic being discussed. The feature is currently available in English, with Hindi support to follow. 

Health information and digital well-being

With health-related videos in India having crossed 300 billion views as of December 2024, YouTube said it is expanding its “First Aid shelves” that surface verified, easy-to-follow videos from authoritative sources at the top of search results in English and Hindi across more conditions.

To promote healthier screen habits, the platform is introducing an option for users to set a daily limit for scrolling on the Shorts feed, in addition to existing “take a break” reminders, which are turned on by default for users under 18.

Protecting creator identity and IP

For creators, YouTube is making more AI-driven production and safety tools available in India. The ‘Edit with AI’ feature is being positioned as a way to reduce editing time and help smaller creators publish more consistently.

At the same time, the company is beginning an open beta rollout of its likeness detection technology to all creators in the YouTube Partner Programme. The tool scans the platform for instances where a creator’s facial likeness appears, including in AI-altered videos, and allows them to request removal of unauthorised or misleading content.

“India is not just a market; it’s a source of global innovation and culture,” Soni said. “By bringing our best AI technology and partnering with institutions like IICT and AIIMS, we’re not just investing in a platform; we’re investing in the ingenuity of the Indian people.”

YouTube said the announcements made at the Impact Summit underline its ambition to be a central partner in India’s creator and knowledge economies, combining economic opportunity for creators with a stronger focus on digital well-being, identity protection and access to credible information.