Fans are using AI to digitally swap costumes and imagine themselves in different roles, with artists able to leverage fan-generated content in campaigns by having fans insert themselves into music videos and related visuals.

Practical strategies include inviting fans to get creative with AI around new releases and briefing AI creators to generate content tied to a music video or campaign.

The report cautions against turning participation into repetitive templates, stressing that identity needs unique perspectives and cannot be mass-produced without losing meaning.

More than two-thirds of AI video posters featured themselves, signaling that identity and self-expression are the primary drivers of value in AI-driven video.

Common formats include “hug your younger self,” where creators animate or interact with childhood images to turn private emotions into shareable social moments.

The strategic takeaway for platforms and brands is to treat generative video as social expression, not just a production feature, to deepen community engagement and identity expression.

YouTube highlights Kristufer, a Minecraft creator using AI-generated scenarios to host ASMR mukbangs in fictional block-world restaurants, illustrating how AI can dramatize feelings and identities within community content.

YouTube’s Culture & Trends report examines how fans use generative AI to express themselves creatively in user-generated content.

The YouTube study, conducted with NRG, shows generative AI video as personal expression rather than a mere production shortcut.

YouTube’s Human Creativity and AI report indicates creators use generative AI video to express identity, visualize emotion, and engage with shared interests.

A key finding is that creators place themselves inside AI-generated scenes to visualize internal ideas, memories, or aspirations rather than remove themselves from the work.

Marketers are advised to design AI video around what people want to reveal or reimagine, protect creator tone and community signals, ensure the synthetic layer is legible with disclosures, and measure meaning and emotional resonance, not just polish.