YouTube is continuing its push to get more users on board with YouTube Premium, and it’s ramping up efforts through a combination of ad-heavy experiences for free users and new features for subscribers. The latest offering for Premium members is an AI-powered tool that enhances how users interact with videos, adding an advantage that non-members won’t have access to.
This conversational AI tool, which was initially offered as an experimental feature, is now being rolled out more broadly to YouTube Premium members in the United States, but it is now only available on the Android app. This tool allows users to go further into the topic they’re watching by asking questions or requesting additional information. For example, if you’re watching a cooking tutorial, you could ask about the ingredients being used. The AI can also summarize videos or recommend comparable content depending on what you’ve watched.
An “Ask” button will appear beneath the video player for Premium members to use with this new feature. Users can enter in their own questions or choose from a list of pre-written prompts when they tap it. This feature is similar to Google’s Ask Photos feature, which allows users to engage with photographs through natural language interaction. Google’s Gemini AI powers this system.
With a variety of AI-driven tools available across it’s platforms to give paying customers a more engaging experience, Google appears to be taking steps to incorporate AI into more of its products and services. Recent increases in the price of YouTube Premium make it evident that the corporation is attempting to defend the price by including sophisticated features like these that are unavailable to free users.
The issue yet stands, will the release of AI technologies convince people to sign up for YouTube Premium or keep using the service even in light of recent pricing increases? While some may find Google’s move to incorporate AI into its ecosystem appealing, the wider appeal will probably depend on the individual user’s needs.