YouTube, the popular video-sharing platform, is currently trialling two cutting-edge generative AI features. These features are part of an initiative to boost user engagement by integrating artificial intelligence into the YouTube experience. This trial is currently limited to a select group of YouTube Premium members.
Simplifying comment sections with AI
One of the new features in this trial focuses on the comment sections of long-form videos. Using generative AI, this feature condenses comments into brief, thematic summaries. This allows viewers to understand the main topics of discussion quickly and enables creators to engage more effectively with their audience’s feedback. Additionally, it provides creators with valuable insights for future content creation. Importantly, creators control these summarised topics, including the ability to delete individual comments related to a specific theme. This innovative feature is being tested on English-language videos with extensive comment activity.
Enhancing video engagement with conversational AI
The second feature being explored is a conversational AI tool. This tool works alongside video playback, offering answers to viewer queries about the video, suggesting related content, and even providing quizzes for specific educational videos. The aim is to create a more interactive and seamless viewing experience, where viewers can ask questions or choose from provided prompts without pausing the video. Initially, this feature is being rolled out to a select group of users on specific videos, with plans to extend it to more YouTube Premium members in the U.S. using Android devices soon.
Future plans and user feedback
These AI experiments are part of YouTube’s broader strategy to incorporate AI into its services, aiming to offer a more personalised and intuitive user experience. The company seeks feedback from users who access these tools to refine and broaden their availability.
YouTube Premium members interested in trying out these features can opt-in at youtube.com/new. They are also encouraged to share their experiences to contribute to the future development of YouTube’s AI integration.
