YouTube is piling on AI agents, live "gamification," and new testing tools as it looks to keep creators, and their ad dollars, firmly within its ecosystem.

The platform unveiled the slate of new discovery, livestreaming and analytics features at its Made On YouTube event on Sept. 23 in New York City. The tools are designed to help creators reach more viewers and make more money on YouTube, even as questions linger over how they will reshape discoverability and content strategy.

YouTube paired its demos of new AI products and live tools with a stats-heavy pitch. The platform counted 1.7 billion unique views during the World Cup, according to its figures presented at the event.

The company also claimed its creator funding supports enough creators to sustain 540,000 full-time jobs in the United States, and that the platform added $60 billion to the U.S. GDP.

The product push signals where YouTube sees the next phase of competition for creators: AI-assisted production, interactive live formats and sharper analytics that promise better monetization. How creators adapt their content strategies to the new discovery mechanics will determine whether the platform's economic pitch holds up.