In its effort to inject AI into everything, Google has begun testing AI searches on YouTube.
With the “Ask YouTube” feature, you can pose questions and the video platform will bring up videos accordingly. The feature is currently only being tested in the U.S., so we weren’t able to try it for ourselves, but The Verge gave some examples. In one instance, the publication asked for a “short history of Apollo 11 moon landing” and YouTube provided text summarizing the mission, including a bulleted list of milestones like the lunar landing and Neil Armstrong’s first step on the Moon. Accompanying videos with timestamps were also provided, featuring footage of the launch, splashdown, moments on the lunar surface and more.
While this seemingly worked well enough, another example The Verge brings up involved factually inaccurate information about the Steam Controller, which U.S. outlets reviewed this week. As the outlet notes, YouTube claimed that the old, discontinued Steam Controller had no joysticks, but it did, in fact, have one. It’s a reminder that AI is often capable of making these kinds of factual errors, also known as “hallucinating.”
For now, Google is testing this feature among Premium users in the U.S. until June 18, although it says it’s working to expand this to non-paid users. It’s unclear if and when AI searches may roll out officially and to other countries.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Via: The Verge
