Deciding what to watch on YouTube can be a challenge, especially when you don"t have anything specific in mind. YouTube seems to understand, as it is testing new AI-generated video summaries to help you get the gist of the content before you dive in.
In a support page dated July 31 (Spotted by Android Police), the YouTube team says video summaries will be auto-generated in English and will be viewable by a limited number of users, for now. These summaries are designed to give users a quick overview of what a video is about.
The YouTube team writes on the support page:
We’re starting to test AI auto-generated summaries on YouTube, so that it’s easier for you to read a quick summary about a video and decide whether it’s the right fit for you. To begin with, you may see these summaries on watch and search pages.
YouTube has not yet shared screenshots of the interface for its new AI-generated video summaries feature. However, the video-sharing platform has confirmed the summaries will appear on both watch and search pages.
The company also notes that these AI-generated summaries are not intended to replace the original video descriptions that are provided by creators.
Android Police rightly points out that since this feature is currently being tested with English-language videos only, its availability may be limited to certain regions.
It is not yet clear if the AI-generated video summaries will be rolled out to a wider audience, but it will be interesting to see how this feature plays out.
YouTube has made a number of changes this month, including a $2 increase in the price of its Premium individual subscription plan in the US. The company has also rolled out a new feature called "Stable Volume," but the details of what it does have not yet been released.