YouTube's Artificial Intelligence Supported Search System is Online: What Awaits Content Creators?

YouTube AI feature Ask YouTube is being tested in desktop search results. It is a matter of curiosity whether the new system will affect the viewing numbers.

YouTube has begun limited testing of its "Ask YouTube" system, a YouTube artificial intelligence feature, in desktop search results. Available to select logged-in users searching in English in the US, this experiment aims to provide direct answers to open-ended questions and how-to searches.

The new system allows users to obtain information through text-based recommendations and key moments from videos before opening them. While this approach simplifies the search experience, it also brings about a new debate that may affect the viewing numbers and revenues of content producers.

How does the Ask YouTube feature work?

YouTube's traditional search system ranks videos that match users' queries and directs viewers to relevant content. In the new feature tested, a preview prepared by artificial intelligence can be displayed above standard video results.

For example, a user researching how to remove stains from painted walls can see a summary of the methods that can be applied before opening the different videos one by one. Thus, the platform is evolving from being a search engine that only allows finding videos to a system that directly answers questions.

The new search experience is similar to Google's approach of adding artificial intelligence-generated summaries to search results. Such features, which change the way users access information in Google Search, have raised concerns about publishers' traffic sources because they can reduce the need to click on links.

One of the striking aspects of AI previews is that they do not just provide a general summary of the text. The system combines text-based recommendations with time-stamped highlights from relevant videos.

This approach can help viewers navigate to the section that contains the information they need, rather than watching an entire long video. It may become faster to obtain information from search results, especially for users who want to learn how to perform a specific action.

What are the risks for content creators?

In the tested interface, users can view the continuation of the artificial intelligence answer and ask additional questions with the "Show more" option. Alternatively, it is also possible to access traditional video results by scrolling down the page.

This design creates a conversational experience that allows users to learn more about a topic without leaving the search page. However, users finding the answer they are looking for directly on the search page may affect click-through rates for content creators' videos.

If a viewer can obtain the information from the artificial intelligence summary that he would normally learn by watching a few minutes of training video, he may not prefer to open the video. Fewer clicks can also mean reduced watch time and revenue from ads for some channels.

YouTube's application of a similar model to video content can have important results, especially for channels focused on education, guides and practical solutions. However, there is no shared data yet on how much the feature, which is in the limited testing phase, will change the actual viewing numbers.

How will this new search experience of the platform affect the place of content producers in the ecosystem while increasing the speed at which viewers can access information? Do you think this new feature will reduce the viewing rates of videos or direct users to higher quality content?