YouTube is testing an AI feature that summarises videos

Google is testing a tool that automatically generates YouTube video summaries using AI, according to a notice on a support page dated July 31st. 

The page, notes that these summaries will only appear next to a limited number of English-language videos, and will only be viewable by a limited number of users. They’ll appear on YouTube’s watch and search pages, and are intended to give a brief overview of a video’s contents without replacing its existing description written by a human.

The update read:

We’re starting to test AI auto-generated summaries on YouTube, so that it’s easier for you to read a quick summary about a video and decide whether it’s the right fit for you.

Google spokesperson Jen Jamie commented:

We are testing a new feature for viewers that uses generative AI to create summaries for YouTube videos. We frequently test new features before they are officially launched so that we can build and refine the best experience for our viewers and creators.

Notably, the company says the AI summaries “do not replace video descriptions (which are written by creators!)”.

According to Google, you might see these summaries appear on watch and search pages first. YouTube is running the tests with a limited number of videos and viewers so far, all in English, so you might not see them for a while.

The update comes shortly after YouTube announced collaborations and live vertical video recommendations, as well as testing a feature that lets mobile users create Shorts featuring comments posted on videos (a very TikTok move). But aren’t they all TikTok moves?

YouTube’s experiment is one of a raft of generative AI initiatives happening at Google right now, as the company races to find uses for the emerging technology. Back at its developer conference in May, for example, the company announced a new Play Store feature that aimed to use generative AI to summarize app user reviews.

But of course, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Google’s AI efforts which include a new Search Generative Experience, and Duet AI tools for its Workspace productivity apps.

Other companies have also attempted to use AI to auto-generate summaries of online content. Artifact, for example, recently launched a summary feature for news articles.

If they end up getting a wider rollout, it’ll be interesting to see if the AI summaries impact how YouTube creators structure their videos. Every policy change and new feature introduced by the video platform can have wide-ranging effects on its content ecosystem, as creators attempt to please its all-seeing yet obscure recommendation algorithm.

Who knows what will happen when creators have to make videos for both humans and Google’s AI to understand?