YouTube's handy generative AI tool is available after a long wait

YouTube is now rolling out its conversational AI tool to Premium subscribers in the US.
However, the feature is only available to users with an Android device for now.
This long-awaited AI tool is powered by a large language model, and its responses are based on data from YouTube and the web.

Like most Google products, YouTube has seen a wide array of generative AI-related features appear over the past several months. Most new features make it to the app in the form of an experiment, with Premium subscribers usually getting first dibs on them. Similarly, YouTube announced a conversational AI tool late last year that would let users get answers about the video even before it’s finished. We didn’t hear much about it until June when YouTube re-announced this tool as a US-exclusive experiment for Premium subscribers. Nearly three months have passed since then, and YouTube appears to be finally ready to roll out this experiment.

While it’s unclear what led to the feature’s abrupt disappearance (and subsequent appearance), YouTube announced on X/Twitter that the generative AI-based “Ask” button is officially available to Premium subscribers in the US, provided they have an Android device (via 9to5Google). There’s no word on when it will be available on the web and iOS or if this experiment will ever be available outside the US. But if you live in the US and have YouTube Premium, this new button should appear on select videos.

our conversational AI tool is expanding to all U.S. YouTube Premium members w/ Android devicesuse it to dive deeper into the content you by asking questions about what youre watching or for recs for similar videos!!details here : TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) September 23, 2024

A support page mentions that this Ask button will be visible “for select English videos.” This means you may have a hard time figuring out which video supports this particular feature, at least initially. The same support page mentions that this tool is available for “non-Premium members on some academic learning videos.”

Video recommendations and more

YouTube also shared a video explaining how this new feature works. On top of getting info on the video you’re watching, you can also use the tool to get recommendations for similar videos. This can be achieved with the help of a suggested prompt, which is paired with another preset prompt that lets you summarize the video. As one would expect, this conversational AI tool is powered by a large language model or LLM, with data from YouTube and the web used to deliver responses.

The Ask button appears below the video player as a pill-shaped button next to Share. However, in 9to5Google’s experience, it supposedly appears as a swipeable option in the comments box. We’re unsure if this is intended functionality or whether YouTube is still working out the appropriate placement for this long-awaited Ask button.