Google adds one of its most controversial features to YouTube Premium

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Google plans to extend its AI Overview tool to YouTube Premium, making this contentious feature available on the world’s most visited video platform.

As a dedicated user, I’ve recently discovered that my YouTube Premium experience has been enhanced with an exciting new feature! Now, when I search for topics such as shopping, travel, or local activities in the US, I’ll encounter an AI-driven carousel of results to help me find what I’m looking for more efficiently. This upgrade makes my YouTube Premium journey even smoother and more enjoyable.

This new experimental feature, now being released for both iOS and Android devices, showcases brief video clips reminiscent of Instagram Stories, complete with individual titles and AI-crafted summaries for each one.

In this update, we’re unveiling a novel AI-driven search results wheel that will recommend videos and topic summaries from YouTube creators for various topics. For instance, if you look up ‘best beaches in Hawaii’, you might encounter an AI-generated wheel featuring snippets of clips demonstrating top snorkeling sites and volcanic coastlines, accompanied by descriptions and additional video suggestions to help plan your perfect day.

YouTube Premium is getting AI overviews

One approach to express this in a more conversational style could be: “The goal is to provide users with ‘valuable findings’ related to their search, but the method used resembles social media timelines which might lead to the spread of incorrect information. This is an area where AI Overviews has faced significant criticism regarding the issue of misinformation on Google Search.

Concerns have been raised by creators as they fear that the new tool, designed for facilitating exploration, might distort information or redirect traffic from their platforms. This apprehension arises when AI-generated summaries may overlook crucial context or facts, potentially leading to misrepresentation.

From now until July 30, the AI carousel feature on YouTube is open for testing, but keep in mind that it’ll be limited to a group of “luckily chosen Premium members.” (Based on YouTube’s support page.)

Additionally, it’s important to note that YouTube isn’t the only platform enhancing its AI capabilities. Previously, their AI assistant was available only to Android and Premium users. However, they are now broadening this service to more viewers in the U.S. By simply clicking a new “Ask” button under videos, users can access this tool which can answer questions, summarize content, or suggest relevant clips, all without disrupting video playback.

As Google increasingly integrates artificial intelligence (AI) across its services, YouTube serves as both a testing ground and battleground, exploring the limits to which users and content creators might accept or employ AI technology.

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2025-06-26 23:19