With AI, Google has revolutionized web search over the past year, moving toward a zero-click experience. YouTube will soon see the same AI emphasis, and Premium subscribers will be able to test out the new search rules beforehand. A selection of pertinent videos will now appear in an AI-generated results carousel for certain searches on the video platform. With an extension of Google’s video chatbot, artificial intelligence is still coming for you even if you don’t pay for YouTube.
Google says that a number of videos will be included in the new AI search feature that sits at the top of the results page, along with an AI summary of each one. The video thumbnails can be tapped to start playing directly from the carousel. You might not even need to view the videos because the summary is meant to extract the content that is most pertinent to your search query.
The AI results carousel is now only available to YouTube Premium users and is merely a test. You can activate the feature on YouTube’s experimental page if you’re a Premium subscriber. Although the feature is completely optional, it is unlikely to be around for very long. Similar to Google’s AI Overviews in search, this feature would prioritize user interaction with Google’s AI over organic search results, which is the main factor influencing the majority of the company’s recent decisions.
We’ve seen the same thing happen in general web search, so it’s easy to see where this feature may go. Google will cut down on the number of videos users click to see by prioritizing AI-generated content in search results. The video page is just one tap away, but the carousel provides you with a summary and the pertinent parts of the video. Some people will simply browse the AI carousel instead of opening videos, leaving comments, subscribing, and engaging with creators in other ways. The same content that Google feeds into Gemini to create the AI carousel may become more difficult for channels to expand and monetize.
At the moment, only shopping, places, and activities in particular areas will display the AI-generated results carousel. Google suggests queries such as “noise canceling headphones” and “best beaches in Hawaii.” But AI Overviews started out with AI answers for a limited number of searches and has subsequently grown to include nearly all queries. We’re not there yet, but the AI-generated results carousel might end up looking the same. The AI results are currently restricted to the mobile app and English-language videos, and they are also an opt-in test for subscribers.
Google is making its conversational AI tool available to more people in addition to YouTube’s launch of AI search. Previously available only to Premium subscribers, this feature will now be accessible to all users. You can explore ideas, ask questions about a video, and receive suggestions for related stuff using this chatbot.