YouTube Search is About to Change – Here’s What You Need to Know
After a bumpy start on Google Search, AI-generated summaries—aka AI Overviews—are now making their way to YouTube.
In a recent blog post, Google revealed it’s been testing a new video results carousel on YouTube that uses AI to create quick summaries and suggestions based on your search. The idea? To help you find what you’re looking for faster, without having to click through tons of videos.
While the feature is still in the experimental phase, it marks another step in Google’s big push to bring AI deeper into your everyday browsing and viewing experience.
AI is Coming to YouTube Search – But Should We Be Excited or Worried?
Google is rolling out a new experimental feature on YouTube that uses AI to surface the most useful clips from videos based on your search. It’s designed to help you find helpful content faster and even suggest related topics—especially in areas like shopping and travel.
Sound familiar? That’s because it’s built on the same idea as Google’s AI Overviews in Search—which, let’s be honest, haven’t had the smoothest ride. Since launching in the U.S. in May 2024 and expanding globally in October, AI Overviews have been a mix of strange answers, misinformation, and meme-worthy mistakes.
Now, Google is bringing that same experimental energy to YouTube. How well it works in a video-first space? That’s still anyone’s guess—but it’s definitely coming.
Google said it was rolling out tests of YouTube AI Overviews “to a small number of YouTube Premium members in the U.S. for some English search queries.”
In the meantime, Google’s AI Overviews’ latest trick in search is that the feature will explain any nonsense phrase you make up. Get creative.
YouTube’s AI Overviews Are in Testing – But Only for a Few
Google says it’s slowly rolling out its new AI-powered video summaries to a limited group of YouTube Premium users in the U.S., and only for select English searches—for now.
Meanwhile, over in Google Search land, AI Overviews have picked up a weird new skill: they’ll now try to explain literally anything you type in. Even if you make up total nonsense, the AI will do its best to give you an answer. So go ahead—get weird with it.
YouTube's AI Is Here... Kinda (And It's Already Getting Weird)
Google’s testing its shiny new AI Overviews on YouTube—but don’t get too excited just yet. It’s only available to a tiny group of YouTube Premium users in the U.S., and only for certain English searches. VIPs only, apparently.
Meanwhile, over on regular Google Search, the AI’s newest party trick? Explaining total gibberish. Seriously—make up a phrase like “quantum banana toaster” and it’ll try to break it down like it’s a real thing. It’s weird, it’s hilarious, and honestly… it kind of rules.
So, what’s the big idea behind YouTube’s AI Overviews? Think of it as your personal video search assistant—one that doesn’t just show you videos but actually picks out the most useful clips for you. It’s meant to save time, cut through the noise, and help you find what you’re looking for faster—especially when it comes to topics like travel plans or shopping hauls. Sounds cool, right? Well… maybe.
If Google’s past experiments are any clue, we might be in for a wild ride. AI Overviews on Search had a rocky start—serving up some hilariously wrong (and sometimes meme-worthy) answers. Like trying to explain nonsense phrases with total confidence. Now imagine that same energy on YouTube. Will it show you exactly what you need? Or will it point you to a 2011 cooking vlog for a tech review? Time will tell.
Still, the fact that it’s only rolling out to a few Premium users means Google’s being (at least a little) cautious. They’re likely collecting feedback before going full steam ahead. Until then, all we can do is wait, watch, and maybe throw a few made-up phrases at Google Search to see what AI comes up with. It’s free entertainment.