Have you ever been watching a YouTube video and thought to yourself, “I really want to ask YouTube a shopping question”? Google is betting that you have and is ready to oblige.
YouTube is expanding Ask YouTube, its experimental AI search tool, into a product research tool that pulls information from videos and outside sources to build product comparison tables, with viewers able to continue asking questions from a video’s watch page. For example, if you search for information about the new iPhone Duo, Ask YouTube can show you how it stacks up against better foldable phones from rivals like Samsung and Google.
YouTube wrote in its announcement:
“When searching for reviews of a specific product, you may receive organized video recommendations, such as a comparison table that includes product attributes and categories based on your preferences. Once you click on a video that interests you most, you can continue asking more questions about the product directly on the video’s watch page.”
Is this the beginning of AI eating your video views, like it has your website traffic?
A YouTube spokesperson told CNET, “Our goal is to connect viewers with the right video faster. With Ask YouTube, we expect watch time to remain steady or improve.”
The spokesperson compared the tool to other AI features, such as chapters and AI summaries, which they said “showed no negative impact on watch time; instead, they helped retain viewers.” They added that videos included in the AI search’s answers will “prominently display the video title and channel name.”
YouTube says more than 140M people used Ask YouTube in June alone, which either indicates that the tool is really good, or that people’s attention spans are shrinking to the point that they don’t even want to watch full videos anymore.
