Google continues to transform YouTube into much more than just a video platform. After the AI function “Ask” previously arrived on mobile applications and the web version of the service, the company is now starting to introduce it on Smart TV devices as well.
The new feature allows users to ask questions about the currently playing content while watching a video. Instead of pausing and opening Google Search or AI Assistant, users will be able to directly talk to YouTube’s AI system within the app itself.
The feature appears through a new “Ask” button marked with an asterisk icon. After activation, the AI can answer questions related to the video, explain certain topics, summarize information or help the user find a specific part of the content that interests them.
On TVs, the experience will be adapted to the large screen and voice commands. Users will be able to activate the AI by pressing the microphone button on the remote control and then ask a question by voice, without having to type text through the TV interface.
YouTube says the system will also offer pre-made question suggestions for users who aren’t sure what they want to ask. The AI will thus attempt to encourage additional interaction with the content currently being viewed.
Although at first glance it seems like a relatively small upgrade, this move is actually part of a much broader strategy that Google has been implementing in recent years.
The company is increasingly aggressively integrating generative artificial intelligence into almost every product. Gemini has already become a central part of Android, Google Search, the Workspace platform and the Chrome browser. Now the same approach is coming to the biggest video platform in the world.
It is particularly interesting that YouTube is increasingly becoming one of the most important services for viewing content on televisions. Google previously said that YouTube now holds the largest share of TV viewing in the US, which is why the company is trying to improve the experience of using the application on large screens.
The new AI feature also shows how the way companies view video content is changing. Traditionally, watching video was a passive experience. With generative artificial intelligence, video becomes interactive.
In theory, while watching a documentary, the user could immediately ask for additional explanations of a certain topic. During a tutorial, he could ask for more detailed instructions for a specific step, while with educational content, he could get summaries or additional context without leaving the video. For now, Google is introducing the feature through limited testing on Smart TV devices, gaming consoles and streaming platforms. The company says that wider availability will depend on user reactions during the trial phase, writes Android Authority.