YouTube is expanding access to its conversational AI tool, which is essentially its own AI chatbot that can provide answers to queries within your video engagement options.
As you can see in this example, YouTube’s conversational AI bot is accessible via an “Ask” button below video clips (for those who have access). When you tap on the “Ask” prompt, the bot then provides suggestions for questions that you may be interested in based on the clip that you’re watching, while you’re also able to enter your own prompts to explore additional topics.
YouTube first launched the AI bot in with selected Premium subscribers in the U.S. last November, but now, it’s looking to expand access to all YouTube Premium members using Android devices in the U.S.
So it’s not a broad expansion as yet, and it is limited to paying users only at this stage. But it will give a lot more people the opportunity to try it out, while also providing YouTube with more data on exactly what people are looking to use the bot for.
It’s hard to tell whether the bot will be highly valuable in a YouTube context. Broader usage trends suggest that more and more people are using AI chatbots for discovery, and as such, it makes sense for social platforms to align with this, and facilitate the same within their own systems.
But at least initially, I suspect that most YouTube users will stick to their embedded search behaviors, and that this addition won’t see major interest.
But as the next generation of users grow up with generative AI as a constant assistant, it will become more important, and as such, while this isn’t likely to be a major shift straight away, it will become a more relevant consideration over time.
YouTube’s taking the right approach, in gradual expansion, and ongoing development, and that could see this become a bigger consideration, in all aspects, in the coming years.
Right now, however, access remains fairly limited, but it is now available to Android-based Premium subscribers in the U.S.