YouTube Tests AI-Powered Custom Feed Feature to Combat Algorithm Frustration

YouTube is working on a feature that will fix the messy home feed | TechCrunch

Finding a YouTube video that truly matches our interests can sometimes be a challenge. The video-sharing platform appears to have recognized this issue and is taking steps to address it with its new experimental feature, "Your Custom Feed." The new test aims to tackle the frustration users often face with algorithm-driven recommendations that sometimes miss the mark. Historically, YouTube's algorithm has been reported to frequently misjudge user intentions. For instance, watching a few Disney videos could lead the platform to presume you're a loyal fan, resulting in an overwhelming amount of similar content -- even if that isn't what you truly want. For those participating in the experiment, you'll notice "Your Custom Feed" next to the standard "Home" button on the homepage. Clicking on it allows you to input prompts tailored to your interests. Instead of passively scrolling through a stream of content that may not align with your interests, this feature allows you to actively shape your feed by entering specific prompts. For instance, if you want more videos about cooking, simply typing that into the custom feed will encourage YouTube to prioritize similar content in the future. While it remains to be seen how popular "Your Custom Feed" will be, the ability to customize a YouTube feed could be a game changer. This could be a more effective alternative to clicking on videos one by one and using the "Not interested" or "Don't recommend channel" options. YouTube isn't the only platform launching a customized feed. Threads was recently seen testing an algorithm-configuration feature. X is also working on a feature that would allow users to tag its AI chatbot, Grok, to adjust their feed.

YouTube Tests AI Prompts to Help Refine Your Own Homepage

YouTube's homepage has a lot of power over what viewers ultimately watch, and the company's new tool may help you improve its recommendations. As spotted by Android Authority, some users are getting a new feature called "Your Custom Feed," which allows you to enter an AI prompt to refine YouTube's suggestions manually. For example, you can tell it you like "watching video podcasts about history," and in the future it will prioritize videos on that topic, even if you haven't watched that many in the past. YouTube has yet to fully explain the feature, but it appears prompts will be weighted against other elements of its own algorithm, such as what you regularly search for or what you've been watching recently. Letting you introduce your own tweaks allows you to quickly explore new topics and video styles. YouTube refers to this as an "experiment," which means most users aren't able to access the feature. PCMag was unable to turn it on across multiple YouTube accounts. It's unclear when this feature will begin to appear for all users. If you are included in the test, you'll find a new chip on the homepage at the top which reads Your Custom Feed. Press here and it'll ask you to begin entering prompts into its AI tool. Despite its name, this feature is different to the brand's Customize your feed option, which first launched in 2024. That's a box within your homepage which gives you multiple recommendations that would typically appear in your feed. It asks you to "pick some videos to tell us what you like," allowing you to upvote and downvote each option. This new custom feed feature instead allows you to make a handbrake turn in what you watch, without losing YouTube's own powerful recommendations. This may help introduce you to interesting new channels and voices.

YouTube is testing a custom feed that lets you finally fix your messy home page

The experimental feature will appear next to the standard "Home" button. For years, YouTube has felt like a benevolent dictator telling you what you should be watching. Now, things might be changing as YouTube is poking at one of the most sensitive parts of its platform: the home feed. YouTube has run a few experiments in the past meant to customize your feed based on your viewing habits, but this time around, instead of throwing another round of algorithm tweaks at users, it is testing something much bolder -- an AI chatbot that lets you directly tell YouTube what you want more (or less) of in your recommendations. If the experiment is live for you, you should now see a new "Your Custom Feed" chip next to "Home" on your YouTube home page, as per a support page. It sounds similar to the AI-powered algorithm that X introduced in September, which uses the company's Grok AI to show users more of what they like. The big twist in YouTube's approach is that it uses an AI chatbot to help you customize your video recommendations by just entering a prompt. After telling YouTube's AI what to tune, the app then updates your recommendation feed instantly without forcing you to dig through algorithm explanations. It's a rare moment where YouTube is admitting that its algorithm doesn't always know what you want. Your feed can get messy fast: click one video out of curiosity, and suddenly your home tab thinks you've pivoted your entire personality to toddler toy unboxings. The new experiment is designed to address that issue. The latest experiment aligns with YouTube's broader push to give users more control, like the switches that hide certain types of recommendations. If the experiment expands, YouTube might finally deliver a home feed that feels like something you built, instead of something the algorithm guessed you wanted at 2 AM.

YouTube confirms new 'Home' page testing that users can personalize

TL;DR: Google is testing "Your Custom Feed" on YouTube, allowing users to personalize their homepage recommendations by entering simple prompts. This AI-driven feature aims to enhance user control over suggested content, appearing as a new option beside the Home tab for participants in the experimental rollout. Google could soon bring customization to your YouTube homepage, with the company currently testing a new feature it calls "Your custom feed." Google has briefly explained the new feature in a recently posted thread on a support page, where a company employee wrote that its new experimental feature enables users to "customize recommendations for your Home feed." Adding more explanation to the feature, the post states that for those who are part of the experiment, they will see "Your Custom Feed" appear on the Home page as "a chip besides Home", and after clicking it, they will be able to update Home feed recommendations by entering a "simple prompt". While the Google employee didn't provide any further context about the feature, the phrase "simple prompt" suggests that some AI will be involved.

YouTube tests a custom feed that lets you tell the algorithm what to do

YouTube is developing an experimental feature called "Your Custom Feed" to address issues with its cluttered homepage feed. The platform aims to reduce user frustration from algorithm-driven recommendations that often fail to align with individual preferences, allowing users to input custom prompts directly on the app's homepage. The core challenge stems from YouTube's recommendation algorithm, which has long struggled to accurately interpret user behavior. Reports indicate that the system frequently misinterprets casual viewing as deep interest. For example, if a user watches several Disney videos, the algorithm assumes a strong affinity for Disney content and proceeds to fill the feed with an excessive volume of similar videos, even when the user seeks variety or different topics. This overgeneralization leads to a homepage overwhelmed by irrelevant suggestions, prompting users to spend more time scrolling past unwanted content rather than engaging with desired videos. In the ongoing experiment, participants see the "Your Custom Feed" option positioned adjacent to the familiar "Home" button on the YouTube homepage. Selecting this button opens an interface where users can enter specific text prompts based on their current interests. This active input mechanism shifts control from passive algorithmic curation to user-directed personalization. Rather than relying solely on past watch history, the feature uses these prompts to guide immediate and subsequent recommendations, creating a more responsive feed tailored to explicit requests. To illustrate its functionality, a user interested in culinary content can type "cooking" into the prompt field. In response, YouTube elevates videos related to cooking topics, such as recipes, techniques, or tutorials, in the displayed feed. This process repeats with new prompts, enabling ongoing adjustments without resetting the entire viewing history. Such customization offers a direct alternative to traditional methods of refining the feed, like individually selecting videos and applying feedback options such as "Not interested" or "Don't recommend channel." These legacy tools require repeated manual interventions across multiple items, whereas prompt-based input streamlines the process into a single, targeted action. Beyond YouTube, similar innovations appear on other social platforms. Threads has been observed testing a feature for configuring its algorithm settings, giving users options to tweak recommendation parameters. Likewise, X is developing a tool that permits users to tag its AI chatbot, Grok, in interactions, which in turn modifies the personalized feed based on those engagements.