YouTube Tests AI-Powered Video Overviews in Search Results

YouTube is testing its own version of AI Overviews

The feature has not always delivered accurate results in Google search. If you've performed a Google search lately, you've undoubtedly come across an AI Overview in your search results. This tool, powered by Google's Gemini, tries to save you some clicks by aggregating information from the links populated in your search results and succinctly delivering what it believes to be the information you're looking for. The accuracy of these overviews, however, often leaves a lot to be desired, and the tool has been plagued with hallucinations since its launch (with varying degrees of hilarity). Now Google is bringing the tool to YouTube, testing a video version of AI overviews for a small number of YouTube Premium members in the US across limited English search queries. While Google search results show LLM-generated text summaries, YouTube's AI overviews will function as something of a highlight reel for certain videos. In a post on YouTube Community forums, Google said that, "This new feature will use AI to highlight clips from videos that will be most helpful for your search query...This is most likely to show when you search for more information about products you're shopping for (such as 'best noise cancelling headphones'), or when you search for more information about locations or things to do in those locations (such as 'museums to visit in San Francisco')." This raises some questions about the revenue model for creators on YouTube and how AI-generated clip reels would affect their incomes. A major concern with AI overview in search is Google's own summary absorbing traffic that would otherwise have gone to the publications shown in the search results. Bringing these tools to YouTube is likely to raise the same concerns for video content creators. Google will be collecting feedback on these overviews from Premium members, who can vote with a thumbs up or thumbs down on the AI-generated highlight clips. Google hasn't said how long this pilot will run for, or whether Google intends to expand YouTube's AI overview to anyone beyond Premium subscribers.

YouTube's latest experiment makes it even easier to skip straight to the best part of videos

It's currently limited to a small number of US-based YouTube Premium users searching in English. Google's AI Overviews are making headlines again this week, and not always for the right reasons. After examples of the tool trying to explain nonsensical phrases went viral, Google is now experimenting with using AI Overviews in YouTube to help you find the right parts of videos. In a low-key update on the YouTube support forums, a Google employee confirmed that YouTube is testing a new AI Overview carousel in search. When a user enters certain types of queries, such as shopping for a product or looking for things to do in a location, the results may include a strip of AI-picked video clips that aim to answer the question more directly. According to YouTube, the feature is meant to help users discover content that's more relevant to their search intent. For example, if you search for "best noise canceling headphones," YouTube might surface video segments that specifically address comparisons or recommendations rather than entire videos that match the keywords. Only a small group of YouTube Premium members in the US will see the new AI-powered results for now, and only for some English queries. If you're one of them, YouTube encourages feedback via the three-dot menu.

ICYMI: YouTube's got its own AI Overviews now

Google Search's AI Overviews try to generate summaries of search results, letting users skip the hassle of actually interacting with search results. Reception to the feature has been mixed, but Google's pressing ahead with a test of AI Overviews on YouTube. Some users are now seeing a carousel of AI-curated video clips in certain YouTube search results; YouTube says these clips are meant to address specific questions users are searching for answers to. Hit the link to the right to read more about AI Overviews on YouTube.

YouTube is testing its own version of Google's AI Overviews

WhatsApp just made it harder for other people to save a copy of their chats with you Summary YouTube is now testing AI Overviews with a new video results carousel after certain search queries. The feature will surface relevant video snippets, saving users the hassle of watching entire videos. Overviews will focus on product information or tourist spots, yielding more accurate results than text summaries. Google launched AI Overviews in Search at I/O last year. Reception has been mixed. Screenshots of inaccurate summaries were widely circulated shortly after launch, including examples of Google's AI interpreting jokes and sarcasm as earnest advice, telling users that adding glue to pizza can help keep cheese in place. AI Overviews seem to have improved over time, though, and now, Google is preparing to bring the concept to YouTube. According to a post on the YouTube Help forum (via Search Engine Land), AI Overviews began appearing in YouTube search results for some users this week. While AI Overviews in Google Search aim to provide a text summary of the information returned in search results, AI Overviews on YouTube will work a little differently. YouTube describes the implementation as "a new video results carousel that appears after entering certain search queries." The carousel will contain AI-curated clips that YouTube hopes will be helpful, based on your search query. YouTube says that these overviews will show up most often on searches for product information (for example, "best noise cancelling headphones"), or when you're looking up information about places or things to do (eg, "museums to visit in San Francisco"). Related Google Search has lost my trust, and I'm not sure where to head next It's not what it used to be Posts 22 A small test for now Surfacing snippets of human-generated content rather than an AI-generated summary seems like it should help YouTube's take on AI Overviews provide more useful (and accurate) information. I have to think the videos YouTube pulls clips from will end up netting lower views overall; it'll be interesting to see how creators on the platform react to this feature. YouTube's AI Overviews are currently appearing for "a small number of YouTube Premium members in the US for some English search queries," so you're not likely to have come across this particular experiment yet. It's unclear when or whether AI Overviews for YouTube will roll out widely, but Google is collecting feedback from users who do have access. It's possible we'll hear more about the new feature at Google I/O next month.

YouTube Tests AI Overviews in Search Results

Google-owned YouTube this week said it is "experimenting" with a new video search results carousel that appears after searches for select keywords. According to YouTube, the video results carousel will use AI to highlight clips from videos that "will be most helpful for your search query," which essentially means that it will take clips from videos and play them right in results, so people may not need to click into a video to find the information they're looking for. Google uses AI overviews for Google Search, but the YouTube version will differ. AI won't summarize videos, and will simply pull clips from them. It is not clear the AI-selected clips will encourage users to watch a full video, or cause fewer people to engage with videos, but AI integration into Google Search has impacted traffic to websites. Right now, the feature is being tested with a small number of YouTube Premium users for English search queries, and the AI-generated results are most likely to surface when users search for information about products, or for locations and things to do in those locations. Two example searches provided include "best noise cancelling headphones" and "museums to visit in San Francisco." YouTube has not provided details on what the AI will prioritize, so video creators may have another metric to optimize for in the future should this functionality see a wider rollout.

YouTube is testing AI Overviews -- and it could change how you find your favorite videos

YouTube is rolling out an experimental feature that could change the way you search for videos -- and not everyone is thrilled, namely creators. Similar to Google's AI Overviews in Search, which summarize key information for queries, YouTube is testing AI Overviews to help make finding the right videos faster and more efficiently. Now, instead of scrolling through endless thumbnails and titles, AI Overviews surfaces key video clips directly at the top of your search results. For example, if you're searching for "best noise-cancelling headphones" or "top museums in San Francisco," you'll now see a carousel of curated video segments that get you to the stuff you're looking for -- and without needing to watch the entire video. Although Google's AI Overviews are not without controversy, bringing the same AI approach to YouTube could have even bigger implications. While AI Overviews could make video discovery easier for viewers, it's already raising concerns among content creators because surfacing key clips upfront means users may get the information they need without ever clicking into full videos. Because content creators rely on engagement for ad revenue, it may be harder for creators who depend on those metrics, with AI Overviews slashing watch time. The fear echoes complaints from publishers when Google's AI Overviews in Search started pulling users away from clicking into full articles earlier this year. At the moment, AI Overviews is available only to a small group of YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S., focused on English-language searches related to shopping and travel. Test users can give feedback on the results using simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down buttons, and YouTube will be watching that data closely before deciding whether to launch the feature more widely. YouTube's AI Overviews aren't happening in a vacuum. They're part of a much broader AI push from Google, which recently launched Gemini 2.5, its most powerful model yet. From Search to Gmail to YouTube, Google is weaving AI into every corner of its ecosystem, so it shouldn't be a surprise that video discovery is the next frontier. Whether AI Overviews becomes a permanent fixture will depend largely on two factors: whether users like it and how badly it impacts creators. One thing's clear: If you're used to traditional YouTube searches, things could start looking a lot different very soon.

YouTube is Testing AI-Generated Video Overviews

Google is reportedly exploring a new AI-powered feature for YouTube that creates video overviews based on users' search queries. In an update to Google's support page, the company reveals it is testing a new tool that uses AI to identify and showcase short video clips relevant to what someone searches for on YouTube. This AI-driven feature aims to give users quick highlights from videos, similar to how Google's AI Overviews in Search summarize content from across the web. Like the text-based summaries seen in Google Search, these video overviews will appear in a carousel format, making it easier to browse through multiple short clips that match the search intent. However, this feature will only be available for certain types of searches. "We're experimenting with a new video results carousel that appears after entering certain search queries," Rob from Team YouTube writes. "This new feature will use AI to highlight clips from videos that will be most helpful for your search query, providing another way to discover content when searching on YouTube as well as discover topics and information related to your search query." Google says that the AI tool is initially designed to focus on searches related to shopping and travel-based topics. "This is most likely to show when you search for more information about products you're shopping for (such as 'best noise canceling headphones'), or when you search for more information about locations or things to do in those locations (such as 'museums to visit in San Francisco')," Rob writes. Google will be testing a video version of AI overviews for a small number of YouTube Premium members in the U.S. across limited English search queries. Google Search already offers a similar feature that shows time-stamped YouTube videos in search results starting at the precise moment relevant to a user's query. In contrast, this new feature in YouTube will present clips in a carousel format. YouTube Premium users in the test group will be able to give feedback on the AI-generated clips by tapping the three-dot menu and selecting either a thumbs up or thumbs down.

YouTube is testing AI Overviews in search results

Google's AI Overviews have had a rough run with search results, and now they're coming to YouTube. In a blog post this week (h/t MacRumors), Google announced it has been "experimenting with a new video results carousel" on its video streaming platform that will add algorithmically generated summaries and suggestions in search. "This new feature will use AI to highlight clips from videos that will be most helpful for your search query, providing another way to discover content when searching on YouTube as well as discover topics and information related to your search query," Google's post reads. The company added that the AI search results on YouTube will be focused on shopping and travel searches. The feature will function exactly like Google's AI Overviews for search, a tool that's very much stumbled through its first year. Google launched the feature for U.S. users in May 2024 then worldwide in October to dubious results, hallucinations, mistakes, memes, and fudged answers. Essentially, things got immediately weird. Exactly how all this will go with a video streaming platform is beyond our wildest nightmares, but hey, it's happening. Google said it was rolling out tests of YouTube AI Overviews "to a small number of YouTube Premium members in the U.S. for some English search queries." In the meantime, Google's AI Overviews' latest trick in search is that the feature will explain any nonsense phrase you make up. Get creative.

YouTube's AI Overviews want to make search results smarter

YouTube is experimenting with a new AI feature that could change how people find videos. Here's the kicker: not everyone is going to love it. The platform has started rolling out AI-generated video summaries directly in search results, but only for a limited group of YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. For now, the AI Overviews are focused on things like product recommendations and travel ideas. They're meant to give quick highlights from multiple videos without making users look at each item they're interested in. Recommended Videos Instead, YouTube users will get a carousel of bite-sized previews pulled from different creators. For example, searching for the best wireless headphones or top spots to visit in Japan might now serve up AI-generated clips that pull some of the key moments tof each video together into a neat package. If this sounds familiar, it's because it mirrors the AI Overviews that Google has been rolling out across Search. That broader push has already hit more than a billion users, but it's also been controversial. Google's AI summaries have made headlines for mistakes, strange advice, and valid concerns about steering traffic away from the original sources. YouTube creators are already raising similar red flags, worried that AI summaries could hurt their views and engagement overall. YouTube says this is just an experiment and is actively collecting feedback through thumbs up and thumbs down ratings. Depending on how users react, the company could decide to roll it out more widely or pull it back for more fine-tuning. It's unclear whether this is going to be a non-negotiable addition to YouTube's list of perks, but at the very least it seems poised to become one of the platform's biggest pushes for the moment with its focus on AI-generated features. There doesn't appear to be a set date for when users beyond YouTube Premium could have access to the overviews that are still in the works.

The Worst Google Search Feature Is Coming to YouTube

Teleparty vs. Discord: What's the Best Way to Watch With Friends? While it's been almost a year since AI Overviews came to Search, they're yet to win people over. Google's solution to that is simple: push them more, so people have no choice but to accept them. Now, they're making their way to YouTube. AI Overviews Are Coming to YouTube Next As first spotted by Search Engine Land, and as per a post on YouTube's Help forum, YouTube is currently experimenting with AI Overviews. Once you search for a query, the new feature will use AI to hunt for videos that address your query and display the most relevant clips under a new "video results" carousel. Since the post mentions that it'll only appear "after entering certain search queries," it likely won't show up for all searches. The post explicitly mentions that AI Overviews will most likely appear when you're searching for product information, like "best noise-cancelling headphones," or when you're looking for travel-related information, such as details about specific locations or activities to do there. YouTube mentions that AI Overviews will provide "another way to discover content" and "discover topics and information related to your search query." While this works differently than AI Overviews in Search, which display a text summary of the information you're looking for, it's not surprising. Someone visiting YouTube likely wouldn't want to read a wall of text and would rather watch clips relevant to their query. This isn't the first time YouTube has dabbled with AI features, though. A few months ago, the company introduced a conversational AI tool that let YouTube Premium members in the U.S. ask questions about the video they were watching or get recommendations for other videos. Though it's been almost a year since AI Overviews in Search debuted, I'm still not a fan of them. A lot of the time, they're inaccurate, fail to address what my query really is, and are frankly unfair to creators and websites that put in the work to answer that query. I imagine something similar will happen with YouTube's AI Overviews, but that's a story only time can tell. Currently, YouTube's AI Overviews are rolling out to a small number of YouTube Premium members in the United States and are only being displayed for a limited number of English search queries. Unfortunately, it's possible that, similar to AI Overviews in Search, users won't have the option to disable them directly and might have to resort to workarounds. Related Here's How I Turned Off Google's AI Overviews and Reclaimed Regular Search Done with Google's AI overviews? You can turn them off in just a few steps. Posts While there's no telling if AI Overviews for YouTube will end up being widely rolled out, I expect we'll find out more about the feature at Google's annual event, scheduled for May 20 and 21, 2025, Google I/O.

You Might Soon See AI Overviews in YouTube's Search Results

YouTube announced on Wednesday that it is testing a version of Google Search's AI Overviews on its platform. The video streaming giant is experimenting an implementation of the artificial intelligence (AI) feature to show users clips from videos in a carousel which could be relevant to the user's query. The new feature also expands the use case of AI Overviews, as the Gemini-powered tool will surface video clips instead of text-based responses on YouTube. While the functionality is in testing, it will only support queries on specific topics, according to the company. In its support page, Google detailed the new feature and how it will be tested on YouTube. Currently, it is only available to a subset of YouTube Premium subscribers in the US. Once eligible users get access to AI Overviews, they can type a query on YouTube's search bar and see the AI-generated snapshot-style summaries on top of the results page. The feature currently only supports English language queries on certain topics. Users will see a video carousel on top of the search results page on YouTube. The carousel will contain clips from YouTube videos that address the query searched by the user. Google said, AI Overviews will provide "another way to discover content" when using the search function on YouTube and "discover topics and information" related with the search query, according to the Alphabet-owned firm. A similar feature has been available on Google Search for quite some time. When searching for a topic that can be better explained in a video, the search giant often surfaces time-stamped YouTube videos that start at the exact moment where the information is provided. For example, if a user is looking for a do-it-yourself (DIY) guide to repair a chair with a broken leg, they would not have to watch the introduction or the part where another part of a broken chair is being fixed. Recently, Google has also added "key moments" underneath videos on the Google Search results page, where users can see multiple clips with a brief description and time stamp to make it easier for users to navigate through the video. While YouTube has not shared details about how its AI Overviews results would work, it is likely to function in a similar manner. However, the company has highlighted that AI Overviews will not be shown for every query. Currently, YouTube is limiting the feature to when users look up products for shopping, seek information about locations, or seek recommendations in said locations.

YouTube Tests AI-Generated Video Summaries in Search

YouTube is testing a new AI-generated video overview feature. The test feature creates a scrollable carousel of short video clips that appears right in YouTube's search results. Instead of clicking into a full video, users can quickly browse AI-selected snippets that the system deems most relevant to their query. It's currently available to a limited group of YouTube Premium users in the US and only in English. At first glance, the feature is about convenience. However, for creators, it raises major concerns. This new feature allows AI to choose which parts of a video to display to the user, potentially overriding the creator's voice, pacing, context, and intent with automated summarisation logic that only Google controls. It's a direct shift of editorial power -- from human creators to an opaque system. That might work fine for quick product searches. In fact, YouTube has said, that the new feature is likely to show when people search for more information about products they're "shopping for (such as best noise cancelling headphones)", or when they search for more "information about locations or things to do in those locations (such as museums to visit in San Francisco)". However, when it comes to complex explanations, emotionally driven storytelling, or tutorials, context matters. And context is exactly what's at risk when videos are reduced to algorithmically-selected fragments. This isn't the first time Google has pushed AI-generated summaries to the front of the user experience. Its AI Overviews in Search have already sparked controversy for misrepresenting information, quoting satire as fact, and surfacing unreliable sources. In one case, the system told users to eat rocks. In another, it claimed that cats had walked on the moon. More importantly, the rollout of AI Overviews has led to a visible drop in referral traffic for many publishers. While Google insists it is still sending users to websites, several media outlets and journalists say otherwise. A Bloomberg report revealed that Google privately acknowledged a decline in traffic during closed-door meetings with publishers. Now, YouTube creators are facing the same dynamic. AI is repackaging their content and presenting it in ways that may reduce engagement, undermine revenue, and take away their control over how audiences experience their work. Google's AI Overviews are already under scrutiny in the EU. The European Commission is investigating whether they violate rules under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the newly adopted European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). The concern is that Google is using its dominance in search to keep users within its own ecosystem while sidelining the publishers, creators, and media outlets whose content powers that system. AI summaries, whether in Search or YouTube, could be seen as a way to extract value without offering fair visibility in return. Regulators are particularly focused on whether platforms like Google are unfairly prioritising their own services and limiting access to diverse media voices. The EMFA, which takes full effect in August 2025, gives regulators new tools to tackle this kind of imbalance. It requires platforms to treat media fairly and to provide greater transparency about how they rank or display content. This YouTube feature is part of a broader shift. Google isn't just helping users discover content, but it's deciding which parts of that content are worth seeing. The algorithm isn't just recommending anymore. It's editing. For creators, that means less control, less context, and potentially less reward. And for regulators globally, it raises flags about fairness, visibility, and market dominance. AI-generated previews might save time. But they could also cost creators the one thing they can't afford to lose: the connection to their audience. MediaNama reached out to legal and digital rights experts with a few key questions: Does YouTube's AI-generated preview feature raise copyright concerns? What does it mean for content control when creators don't choose which clips get shown? And how does this fit into existing rules around platform liability in India? We are currently waiting for responses and will update the article as soon as we receive them.