Google Tests Ask YouTube AI Chatbot Search That Transforms How Users Find Video Content

Google is testing AI chatbot search for YouTube

Google is trying out an AI Mode-like search experience for YouTube. The company is now testing "a new way to search on YouTube that feels more like a conversation," with results pulling in things like longform videos, YouTube Shorts, and text about what you're searching for. The "experiment" is now available if you're a YouTube Premium subscriber in the US who is 18 or older. I turned it on for my account. Now, in the search bar, I see an "Ask YouTube" button, and clicking the search bar shows prompts to ask like "funny baby elephant playing clips," "summary of the rules of volleyball," and "short history of the Apollo 11 moon landing." If I keep the search box blank but click the Ask YouTube button, YouTube takes me to a full page with suggested searches and a text box to ask a question. When you search with Ask YouTube, YouTube briefly shows a mostly-blank page with a loading icon, and after a few seconds, fills it out with text and details. I tested it with the "short history of the Apollo 11 moon landing" prompt. At the top of the results was a bunch of text summarizing the mission, including a bulleted list of milestones like the date of the lunar landing and Neil Armstrong's first step on the Moon. Then, the page included a video about the launch timestamped to a section about the launch day from a channel called "The Life Guide," followed by galleries of videos under headers like "From Launch to Splashdown," "Historic Footage and Behind-the-Scenes," and a series of Shorts about "Moments on the Surface." (I assume YouTube is pulling the text for these sections from the videos highlighted in the search results.) At the end, the page has a few more suggested prompts, including "Who were the Apollo 11 astronauts" and (perhaps worryingly) "Apollo 11 conspiracy theories," and a text box I can use to ask a follow-up question or start a new search. I clicked the "Who were the Apollo 11 astronauts" and got a new, slightly differently-formatted set of results, including a grid with background about astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Searching for "Apollo 11 conspiracy theories" just showed a typical list of YouTube search results, however. I threw Ask YouTube another test to see how it fared with something I'm very familiar with: Valve's new Steam Controller, which I published a review of today. I asked, "What is the Steam Controller," and YouTube gave an overview of the controller, pointed to Valve's new video about the controller, and highlighted both longform reviews and a "Quick Hands-On Reviews" section featuring Shorts (including our new Short published today and one from last November). It was all mostly right, but I did catch a factual flub: YouTube claimed that the old, discontinued Steam Controller had no joysticks, when it actually has one. It was a reminder that, as potentially useful as these AI-created search result pages might seem, you need to do your due diligence to make sure they're accurate. YouTube says it's already "working on" expanding this experiment to users who don't have Premium. Just as it's continued to iterate on AI Mode and brought AI Mode to Gmail, it seems likely that "Ask YouTube" is something Google sees a big future for.

Is YouTube an AI Search Engine Now? Google Tests New In-App AI Chatbot

Google is testing a conversational AI search feature for YouTube that responds to queries with text summaries and video recommendations. As The Verge reports, the new feature, Ask YouTube, is placed toward the right of the regular search bar. If you tap the new button, you'll be taken to a chatbot-like interface that has a prompt box at the bottom and a set of suggested prompts above it. You can ask the chatbot about anything, from fixing a leaky bathroom and planning an anniversary dinner to seeking information about Mars or the economy. It will respond with a combination of text and video recommendations. The text will have a summary in bullet points, while suggested videos could be long-form or Shorts. If you need more information, you can ask follow-up questions. Though Google hasn't confirmed what powers Ask YouTube, it's likely that Gemini AI tools gather information from videos uploaded to the platform. It is not to be confused with the existing "Ask" button (with the Gemini spark logo) you see under a video you're watching. That button only responds to queries about that particular video. To test the broader Ask YouTube feature, you must be at least 18 years old, live in the US, and have a YouTube Premium subscription. You'll also need to manually enable the feature for your account from YouTube Labs. The cost of the YouTube Premium plan, meanwhile, went up from $13.99 per month to $15.99 earlier this month. The annual plan also got a hike, going from $139.99 to $159.99.

YouTube is testing an AI search mode that 'feels more like a conversation'

Google is determined to impose AI search onto as many of its products as possible, and the latest, er, victim is YouTube. A new feature called "Ask YouTube" will let you pose complex questions and receive "comprehensive results that include video and text, then ask follow ups to dive deeper," Google explained on its YouTube Labs page. The experimental feature is available starting today until June 8 for Premium US subscribers 18 and older. To use it, first, enable the feature in your account. Then, click on the new "Ask YouTube" button in the search bar and you'll see prompt suggestions, or you can enter your own, like "plan a 3-day road trip between San Francisco and Santa Barbara." After getting the results, you can try follow-up questions or choose from suggested prompts to explore in more detail. As shown in The Verge's quick test, the prompt "short history of Apollo 11 moon landing" brought up a summary of the mission, along with videos and time stamps for relevant information. Follow-up questions yielded similar results, but some queries just showed a list of videos like you'd see in a classic YouTube search. As happens with AI, one of the searches (around a Steam Controller) yielded factually inaccurate information, according to The Verge's Jay Peters. Tech companies love AI a lot more than the public, and YouTube users are particularly passionate about hating AI-generated slop. YouTube's AI search function may fare better with subscribers, but only if it helps them find quality content more quickly.

YouTube is testing a chat-style search that cuts the scrolling

The feature is limited to US-based YouTube Premium users (18+) and runs as a test until June 8. YouTube search has looked the same for what feels like forever. You type in a few words, see a list of thumbnails, and hope the third or fourth video actually helps. Now, though, Google is quietly testing an AI-powered search mode that turns YouTube from a basic video library into more of a tech-savvy concierge, at least for Premium users. The feature is called Ask YouTube. From today until June 8, US-based YouTube Premium subscribers who are 18 or older can opt in via the YouTube Labs page, the platform said in a help page. When you enable it, a new button shows up in the search bar. Tap it, and instead of just searching, you start a conversation. If you ask for something like "short history of the Apollo 11 moon landing," YouTube will give you a short summary with bullet points, such as the lunar landing date and Armstrong's first step, instead of just video titles. You'll also see timestamps in a related video and collections of longer videos and Shorts. However, The Verge pointed out that one test about a "Steam Controller" gave incorrect information. Anyway, this is still an experiment, not a finished product. It's best to treat every AI-generated fact with a healthy side of skepticism. What sets Ask YouTube apart is that you can ask follow-up questions. For example, if you ask, "Plan a 3-day road trip between San Francisco and Santa Barbara," you might see vlogs, route guides, and text tips all on one page. While many YouTube viewers dislike AI-generated content, this feature isn't about creating fake videos. It's meant to help you find quality content faster, as long as the AI gets the details right. Google will collect data until June 8. If Premium users try it out and don't quit over bad answers, the feature could roll out more widely. If not, it will likely end up with other abandoned experimental search tabs.

YouTube is turning into an answer engine with a new conversational search feature

Google sprinkled some AI magic on YouTube search and it actually worked. YouTube Premium subscribers in the US (18 years and older) have something new to play with. As reported by The Verge, the company is testing a conversational AI search experience called Ask YouTube that is unlike anything YouTube has offered before. So what exactly is Ask YouTube? Instead of typing keywords into a search bar and hoping for the best, you can now ask YouTube a full question and get a response that feels more like a conversation. You can enable this feature using YouTube's experimental feature. Once you do, you will notice an Ask YouTube button built into the YouTube search bar. When you click the search bar, YouTube surfaces suggested prompts like "What caused the 2008 financial crisis?" or "How to fix a stripped screw." These might be trending searches or based on your own YouTube history. You can either search for these trending search terms or enter your own search term and hit the Ask YouTube button to perform the search. When I searched for "prisoners' dilemma", YouTube gave me a text overview followed by a featured video. Recommended Videos Then there were additional videos under different subheadings, including "step-by-step logic of the dilemma" and "real-world applications," followed by quick concept overviews using shorts. I performed multiple searches and found that the search results are a mix of text summaries, long-form videos timestamped to relevant sections, and galleries of YouTube Shorts organized under themed headers. It is a genuinely different experience from the standard search results page. Does it actually work? In my limited testing, the AI search worked really well. Not only did it give me an overview of the topic and relevant videos, but I also liked that it sorted them into different categories, giving me an idea of their content. Whether it's better or worse than the normal YouTube search, I cannot comment. I will need to use it for longer to make any such assessment.

YouTube tests AI-powered Ask YouTube search feature

Google is testing an AI Mode-like search experience on YouTube called "Ask YouTube," currently available to YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. who are 18 or older, according to The Verge. The experiment generates a page of information that resembles a conversational interface, integrating longform videos, YouTube Shorts, and relevant text based on user queries. "Ask YouTube" appears as a button in the search bar, prompting users with suggested queries like "funny baby elephant playing clips" and "summary of the rules of volleyball." When users click the button after leaving the search box blank, they access a page with curated search suggestions and a text box for further inquiries. The platform briefly displays a loading icon while retrieving results. For instance, a search for "short history of the Apollo 11 moon landing" yields a summary of the mission, alongside a bulleted list of significant milestones, including the lunar landing date and Neil Armstrong's first step on the Moon. Additional results feature a video from "The Life Guide" and galleries under categories like "From Launch to Splashdown." Autocomplete suggestions also include queries like "Who were the Apollo 11 astronauts" and "Apollo 11 conspiracy theories." Searching for the astronauts provides a grid format with detailed profiles on Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, while the conspiracy theories prompt standard YouTube search results. Another search for "What is the Steam Controller" offered an overview and linked to Valve's promotional video, highlighting both longer reviews and YouTube Shorts. However, YouTube inaccurately stated that the discontinued Steam Controller lacked joysticks, highlighting the need for users to verify AI-generated information. YouTube is planning to expand the "Ask YouTube" feature to non-Premium users, reflecting its potential similar to other AI initiatives within Google's suite of services. The company aims to enhance user interaction and information retrieval on its platform.

Google is quietly changing how you find videos on YouTube

YouTube search has always worked the same way. You type some keywords, scroll through a list of results, and take your best guess. Google wants to change that, and a new experiment called Ask YouTube is its first real attempt to do so. The feature is live now as an opt-in test for YouTube Premium subscribers in the US who are 18 or older. It's desktop-only and available in English until June 8, unless Google decides to extend it. To try ask YouTube AI search, you'll need to enable it through your account at youtube.com/new. Once it's on, an "Ask YouTube" button appears next to the search bar. From there, you type a question, and instead of getting a standard list of videos, you get a text summary, a featured video linked to a relevant timestamp, and galleries of both longform videos and Shorts organized by theme. The Verge tested it with a few prompts, including a short history of the Apollo 11 moon landing, and the results pulled a summary of the mission alongside relevant clips. There's a follow-up prompt system too, so you can keep the conversation going without starting a new search. What's actually different here This isn't the first time YouTube has poked at the idea of conversational AI. Back in 2023, YouTube started testing an Ask button on individual videos, letting you ask questions about the content you were already watching. That feature eventually expanded to Premium members and then rolled out more broadly. Ask YouTube takes the same concept but points it at the whole platform instead of a single video. It's also part of a bigger pattern from Google. AI Mode in Google Search uses the same back-and-forth search logic, and Google has been rolling that out steadily since last year. Bringing a similar experience to YouTube makes sense, given that a lot of people already use the platform like a search engine. The test ends June 8, and YouTube hasn't shared anything about how Ask YouTube picks which video gets the top citation spot. For now, it's early. But if the experiment holds up, keyword-driven search on YouTube could start looking pretty outdated.

YouTube can soon let you chat your way to videos with new AI search feature

Currently limited to select YouTube Premium users in the US, with a wider rollout expected later. Google is currently testing a new AI-powered search experience for YouTube that aims to make content discovery more conversational. This is an experimental feature that is currently available to a limited number of YouTube Premium users in the United States aged 18 and up. According to reports, a few users have already received the Ask YouTube option within the search interface. Users can now enter queries in natural language and receive a combination of AI-generated summaries, curated long-form videos, Shorts, and contextual highlights. Rather than the traditional search result, the feature offers an overview of the topic that includes key points followed by the relevant video segments and content collections. For example, a search for the Apollo 11 Moon Landing will first offer a brief summary including milestones, related videos and Shorts. Further, the users can also continue the interaction by asking more questions. The feature also includes additional queries, which encourage deeper exploration of topics. However, early testing indicates that, while AI summaries are generally useful, they may occasionally contain inaccuracies, emphasising the importance of users verifying information. Also read: Duct AC vs floor mounted AC: Which one is better for your room and why The company has already implemented similar AI experiences in other products and is rumoured to expand this YouTube experiment beyond Premium users in the future. If it gets rolled out, the feature can change the way how users interact with video content.