YouTube Gets an AI Revamp

YouTube is experimenting with two AI features with the goal of making the platform more engaging.

• Comment topic summarization aims to bring order to the often chaotic and lengthy comment sections.
• The conversational AI tool provides real-time answers to viewers’ questions related to the video they are watching.

YouTube experimenting with two new AI features, comment topic summarization and a conversational AI tool, to enhance user experience.

Announced in a blog post, the features are currently available to select YouTube Premium subscribers.

This move is part of Google’s ongoing efforts to introduce AI-driven tools across its platforms, and the world in general. In fact, their medical AI, Med-PaLM 2, was a hit among healthcare providers. Some of their attempts, however, weren’t welcomed like ‘Genesis’, their AI personal assistant for journalists. After all, AI mistakes could jeopardize the integrity of the profession. But with YouTube, Google could do great things, useful things.

First Things First

Let’s start with the comment section. Typically, comment sections are WILD. Everyone is arguing with everyone.

As a result, we get lengthy and exhausting comment threads with which it is difficult to keep up. This YouTube experimental AI tool organizes, and groups comment threads by topics and themes. It would allow users to easily navigate the sea of discussions. All in the hope of allowing creators and viewers to engage in meaningful conversations.

An important thing to note here is that comments will still be subject to moderation. Any comment found to be in violation of the terms and conditions will not be grouped. I mean, can you imagine a group of comments just hating the creator? That would be just cruel.

Second, and most importantly, the other YouTube AI tool is a conversational one. Basically, a chatbot. But not just any chatbot. This one is capable of providing real-time answers to questions related to the video you are watching. Its skills include background information, and suggest related content, among other things. Biggest selling point? It doesn’t pause the video.

If you are looking at this from the average person’s point of view, it doesn’t mean much. But I have to remind you that students, including myself, rely on the good work of many out there on YouTube for studying. You’ve got channels that teach you anything from literature to quantum computing. And get this: you actually learn something! Now imagine that kind of comprehensible content plus a “teacher’s aide” who can answer your questions and recommend further videos to understand. 

YouTube is still in the early stages of testing its new AI tools. But they seem especially promising. Personally, I’d rather use this useful AI tool over whatever Meta tried to do here.

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