YouTube is testing a new feature that automatically generates summaries of videos using AI.
Late last month, YouTube described a new feature experiment on its platform that uses AI to create auto-generated summaries of videos on its platform to help users understand the content of a video before watching it.
The experiment was announced via the “YouTube test features and experiments” support page on July 31, explaining that it will make it easier for users “read a quick summary about a video and decide whether it’s the right fit.”
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The AI-generated video summaries, which should initially appear on watch and search pages, are certainly “helpful and give you a quick overview of what a video is about,” but YouTube explains that they are not there to replace the usual video descriptions that we’ve grown accustomed to. The descriptions are still something creators themselves need to write for their viewers.
Finally, the AI auto-generated summaries experiment is currently running with a very limited number of videos (in English) and a closed group of viewers.
In other news…
In other AI-related news, YouTube also started testing AI-generated quizzes on mobile earlier in July. The support page says the feature is meant “to make it easier for people to learn about topics they’re interested in.”
The experiment has been running for the last month or so on the YouTube mobile app Home feed globally, and has been rolling out to “a small percentage of viewers on iOS and Android who recently watched a few, select educational and EN-language videos.”
These two experiments are only two of the many others out there right now and may never get a full rollout.