Browsing YouTube will never be the same after Google’s latest update

Finding the video you want on YouTube can sometimes feel like a challenge, especially if you’re looking for something very specific. Google seems to want to solve that problem, and apparently its solution is to shove Gemini into the search bar on the video platform.

YouTube is getting an AI-powered search bar update

Google introduced a new AI-powered feature for the YouTube search bar during its I/O keynote today. The feature called Ask YouTube will allow users to ask complex questions using Gemini in the video-sharing platform.The new search feature will work similarly to how Gemini already handles some searches. However, the answers with Ask YouTube will include a selection of the most relevant videos available on the platform.  

Sifting through all the content 

Ask YouTube won’t be limited to only one type of content and will compile the most relevant mix of long-form videos and Shorts across the whole platform. The results will include not just a list of videos but also specific moments relevant to the search.
In the example the company has demonstrated during the I/O keynote, the user searches tips on how to teach a child to learn to ride a bike. The results Ask YouTube provides include a structured, interactive response with tutorial videos, step-by-step guides, helpful advice, and more.

The new tool also allows asking follow-up questions, which then refines the search results. 

Limited availability

YouTube is launching the new search feature first in the US and only for Premium subscribers aged 18 and up. The company plans to expand the feature to all YouTube users sometime this summer.

That’s only one of many implementations of Gemini that Google announced today. The company will launch agentic abilities to Google Search, a swath of creative tools, and voice capabilities based on AI.

Some of those updates are likely to impact various parties outside of Google, including YouTube creators. It’s likely that some of them start adapting their content to the new Ask YouTube feature in an attempt to attract higher exposure from the platform.

This could change everything

Switching from the classic keyword-driven search to an AI-powered tool that goes deeper into the videos could drastically change what type of videos get popular on YouTube. Considering how every change to the recommendation algorithm affects the creator trends, I won’t be surprised if we start seeing some really unusual videos very soon.

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