Key Takeaways
- Google is testing an AI feature on YouTube that generates summaries of videos, providing users with an idea of the video’s content before actually watching it.
- The AI-generated summaries aim to provide clear and accurate information, reducing the reliance on potentially misleading descriptions written by video creators.
- Currently, the feature is limited to a select number of viewers and available only in English, but Google may expand its availability based on user feedback.
Google has shown us how its Duet AI can transform users’ productivity in Google Workspace, but beyond that, the company is looking for more possible avenues for incorporating AI capabilities into many of its other products that are more consumer-friendly. The Mountain View tech giant is now testing a new AI feature on YouTube to allow users to get a summary of videos without actually watching them.
Google’s AI will auto-generate the summary of the video you’re planning to watch, so before you click to watch, you get a fair idea about what the video will be about. How is it different than a YouTube video description, you ask? Well, while YouTube video descriptions should include a compelling summary of the content, creators often misuse the feature to mislead their viewers. As announced by Google on its support page, AI-generated summaries on YouTube videos will be different than video descriptions in the sense that viewers won’t be at the mercy of the creators to get clear and accurate summaries of videos on YouTube. AI will take care of that.
However, YouTube creators can continue to write descriptions, as AI-generated summaries are not meant to replace that. This in no way should impact your viewing experience on your phone or laptop.
The AI-generated summaries will appear on watch and search pages on YouTube, and currently, they can be seen on a limited number of videos by a limited number of viewers. Another limitation is the language: the feature is available only in English. Google is likely to expand availability once the feature becomes more mature.
For the people currently seeing AI-generated summaries, Google wants to know what you think about the feature by sending the company your feedback. While the feature remains free for those limited users, there is no guarantee it will stay that way after the testing is over. The company could very well introduce it as part of the YouTube Premium subscription in anticipation of getting more people to pay. And if that happens, Google can finally explain the recent hike in the subscription cost of YouTube Premium.