YouTube is testing an AI feature that summarises videos

They "do not replace video descriptions (which are written by creators!)".
 By 
Shannon Connellan
 on 
The logo for YouTube Inc. is displayed on a smartphone in an arranged photograph.
Credit: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Google is testing a tool that automatically generates YouTube video summaries using AI.

In a support page spotted by Android Police, the company says it's experimenting with artificial intelligence to generate short descriptions of videos posted to YouTube.

"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," the update reads.

Notably, the company says the AI summaries "do not replace video descriptions (which are written by creators!)".

According to Google, you might see these summaries appear on watch and search pages first. YouTube is running the tests with a limited number of videos and viewers so far, all in English, so you might not see them for a while.

The update comes shortly after YouTube announced collaborations and live vertical video recommendations, as well as testing a feature that lets mobile users create Shorts featuring comments posted on videos (a very TikTok move). But aren't they all TikTok moves?

Topics YouTube

A photo portrait of a journalist with blonde hair and a band t-shirt.
Shannon Connellan
UK Editor

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.

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