YouTube tests AI-generated summaries to help you choose what to watch

YouTube wants to provide a quick overview of videos to users before they watch them.

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Many of the applications on your smartphone are now incorporating features powered by generative AI in various ways, but YouTube had refrained from this until now. Although the platform already does use AI to produce intelligent subtitles, it has now started employing generative AI to craft textual summaries for its videos.

In a recent update on a support page for YouTube’s latest experimental features, the platform has officially announced that it’s testing for AI auto-generated summaries. However, unlike typical summaries aimed at reducing the length of lengthy content so that it becomes easier to consume, video summaries are intended to serve a different purpose. YouTube wants to help users pick the most compelling videos to watch by providing concise overviews through them.

The AI-generated summaries will not replace the video descriptions crafted by creators. Instead, they will serve as an alternative tool, offering users a glimpse into the essence of a video. The implementation of these summaries will be visible on both watch and search pages, although we are not sure what they’d look like since YouTube is yet to share any screenshots.

Also read | Meta prepares AI-powered chatbots in attempt to retain users

These AI-generated summaries were introduced on Monday, but their availability is currently limited to a select number of videos and is exclusively accessible in English.

Alongside AI-generated summaries, YouTube is also exploring another feature that allows mobile viewers to create “Shorts” showcasing comments from videos they are currently viewing. These Shorts will be prominently featured in the Shorts feed as well as on the viewer’s channel page.