YouTube Enhances 'Ask YouTube' with Shopping Features
At its Made on YouTube event, Google's YouTube announced an expansion to the AI-powered conversational search feature called Ask YouTube. Originally designed for natural language searches across videos and Shorts, it now includes new shopping-related capabilities aimed at helping users make purchasing decisions. These enhancements include product comparisons and follow-up question features directly within video watch pages. YouTube cited a significant increase in usage of Ask YouTube, with over 140 million people using the feature in June—a more than fivefold rise since December last year. The improvements are driven by user behavior trends where viewers increasingly trust creators' opinions on products and seek guidance through videos. Emily Moxley from YouTube's Viewer AI team explained that a custom Gemini model helps map complex questions to specific video timestamps, enhancing engagement with content. The feature is part of broader efforts in the media and entertainment sector to integrate commerce into digital platforms using artificial intelligence.
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Topics: AI Commerce Media & Entertainment YouTube