YouTube is testing summaries written by AI

YouTube is experimenting with a new feature that generates summaries for videos written by AI, but you probably won’t see it just yet.

It’s not uncommon to see strange new features come and go on YouTube’s mobile app or website. That’s the nature of a constantly changing service. However, it was only a matter of time before YouTube started introducing some form of AI. Google has made big breakthroughs in the field with Bard and Google Workspace’s new Duet AI feature set that brings the tech into your daily workflow, for the better.

As a user-facing feature, YouTube announced it is experimenting with AI-written summaries for videos. Summaries differ from video descriptions, which are written by creators and will remain that way. Before a viewer even clicks on a video, YouTube is planning on incorporating a small summary that introduces the content. Rather than requiring the creator to pump out another element to the video, YouTube’s AI engine will handle the task.

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. To begin with, you may see these summaries on watch and search pages.

The AI-written summary will contain information about the video so users can decide if they’d be interested in it or not. Currently, the only draws for a video are the thumbnail and title. With AI summaries, more context can be added to draw viewers in. For users looking to save a little time, it’s a way to get additional needed info before clicking.

YouTube states that the feature is in very limited supply, with only English viewers capable of seeing the feature. The forum post doesn’t mention whether or not this is limited to mobile or desktop, and we have yet to see the feature on our end.

With Google putting a large emphasis on AI – Tensor SoC, Bard, Duet AI – it makes sense for the tool to come to YouTube in a simple yet effective way, like AI-written summaries. There’s no information as to whether the feature will expand over time, though it may if it’s successful enough. It could potentially also be locked behind YouTube’s Premium tier. Let us know in the comments if you happen upon this new feature.