YouTube Rolls Out AI-Enhanced Tools and Gaming for Premium Members on Mobile

YouTube is enhancing the viewing experience for its Premium subscribers through the introduction of innovative AI-driven tools within its mobile application.

The standout feature among the new offerings is a conversational AI capable of fielding queries about the video being watched and providing additional content recommendations. This interactive component is identified by an 'Ask' button positioned beneath the channel name on videos where it's applicable. Initiating a conversation with this tool is as simple as tapping the button and posing your questions or utilizing one of the preset queries if nothing specific comes to mind. This AI assistant can deliver summaries of the video in question or suggest further viewing material. While it operates effectively most of the time, it's important to note that it currently exists in a trial phase. During an exploration of this conversational model, the AI displayed proficiency in distilling video content informatively and pithily. The recommendations were generally on point, even though they encountered a hiccup where irrelevant content was suggested. To help refine the system, users can signal their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the recommendations via thumbs-up or down icons.

Presently, this conversational feature is exclusive to the YouTube app on Android for American subscribers aged 18 and above, with the functionality available only until December 15.

Comment Summarization Tool

In addition to the conversational AI, another AI-powered feature has been rolled out, aimed at sifting through extensive comment sections and segmenting them into digestible topics. This summarizing feature is currently confined to English-language videos.

Users can access this tool within the comments section of a video by tapping on the 'Topics' tab adorned with a star icon, which lays out the various discussion threads active for that video. This summarizer doesn't favor any particular channel size or video popularity; our observations didn't reveal any discernible trends in its deployment. Access to the summarization tool for Premium users on both Android and iOS devices will cease after December 5, when YouTube plans to discontinue it.

Interactive Playable Games

Last but not least is 'Playables, ' a third experimental feature that offers a selection of 30 games accessible directly from YouTube’s homepage or the Explore menu. The collection holds a variety of simple, recreational games such as classic solitaire, a word game resembling Wordle named Hurdle, and the popular Angry Birds. These are light diversions, perfect for a casual gaming break.

Not limited to just mobile, 'Playables' can also be enjoyed on desktop browsers and will remain available until March 28, 2024, providing Premium subscribers ample time to enjoy the interactive games before they are discontinued.