YouTube is now bringing a new Conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) feature for users. On Tuesday, the company announced that the new tool, which will let users ask questions about the content of a specific video, is being expanded to YouTube Premium subscribers in the US. Previously, this feature was available in beta, but now more users can interact with the chatbot using a new button added below the video. The video streaming platform is also rolling out ‘pause ads’ or ads that play when a video is paused to a wider user base.
YouTube Premium subscribers will get new conversational AI
The official handle of TeamYouTube announced the launch of the feature in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). The feature is being rolled out to YouTube Premium subscribers using Android devices in the US. The company did not say when this feature will be available to users in other regions.
Those who are eligible for this feature will soon see a new feature Ask button below the video, in the same row Like, shareAnd download button. The new button is followed by the sparkle icon, which Google is now using to denote AI-based features. Tapping this button will open a window in place of the comments section that will let users type questions about the video.
Users can ask the AI for details about a specific object shown in the video, the genre of the song being played, or a summary of the video. Additionally, they can also request the AI to recommend similar content. In a support page, the company highlighted that this tool may not be available in every video. Currently, it selectively supports English language videos.
The company did not disclose the name of the large language model (LLM) being used for the feature, but did say that “LLMs pull information from YouTube and the web”. This means that conversational AI tools don’t rely solely on subtitle data and video processing to answer user questions.
YouTube will collect data whenever a user interacts with the tool and submits a query. The company said the data is used to improve and develop products and services. A user’s conversation will be automatically deleted from the server after 45 days.
