YouTube adds more AI, but not everyone’s happy about it

The big picture: Is YouTube becoming harder to navigate as the platform increasingly embraces AI-generated “slop”? As many users start to ask that question, the Alphabet-owned company is doubling down, introducing even more AI-powered features aimed at enhancing search and enabling conversational interactions.

Google recently confirmed that two new AI features are coming to YouTube. The company says the updates are aimed at helping users find what they’re looking for more quickly and efficiently, though the most significant change will initially be limited to paying subscribers.

The first new feature enhances YouTube’s search functionality with AI-powered suggestions. When users search for certain topics, such as shopping or travel, YouTube will now display a carousel of recommended videos accompanied by AI-generated summaries.

For example, a search for “best beaches in Hawaii” might return a carousel featuring summer-themed clips, including highlights of snorkeling spots or volcanic beaches. YouTube says the goal is to make it easier for users to plan vacations or explore destination-related content through curated, AI-assisted recommendations.

AI search results on YouTube are currently limited to Premium subscribers in the US. According to a support document, the experimental feature will be rolled out to a random selection of Premium users and is available in English only.

The second AI-related feature impacts YouTube’s previously introduced conversational AI tool, which is now expanding to some non-Premium users in the US. Premium members have reportedly embraced the tool, using it to ask contextual questions about videos, request new content recommendations, and explore academic topics more interactively.

YouTube is encouraging viewers to try these experimental features if they appear while browsing. The company also promised to introduce even more AI functionality in the future, as Google and Alphabet continue pushing to “enhance” nearly every online service with chatbots and large language models, despite growing concerns over the energy use and content quality associated with generative AI.

As content creators have discovered – and the company has since confirmed – YouTube is now using publicly available videos to help train its LLMs and chatbot systems. YouTube says this is standard practice to improve its products and that agreements are in place with creators and major media companies.

However, based on early reactions to the AI-generated search results, many users would prefer a platform with less algorithmic interference and fewer generic, bot-generated comments cluttering video discussions.