YouTube tests Ask YouTube AI search for Premium users

YouTube is running a test of Ask YouTube, an AI-driven search feature available to U.S. YouTube Premium subscribers aged 18 and older. The feature is opt-in for the trial and returns step-by-step answers that combine written guidance with short and long video clips, and it accepts follow-up questions within the same session.

Users can type conversational queries such as planning a road trip or finding recipes. The system returns structured results that mix written instructions with segments from relevant videos. Each result lists video titles and channel names so viewers can open full clips or explore creators referenced in the answer.

Ask YouTube keeps context within a session. For example, a user who asks for a road-trip itinerary can then ask where to stop for lunch and receive further mixed-format suggestions tied to the original query.

The trial is limited to U.S. Premium subscribers who opt in. Google confirmed the company plans to make the feature available to non-Premium users later but did not provide a timeline for wider or international rollout.

Google has not specified how Ask YouTube results will interact with ads or whether sponsored placements will appear inside guided answers. A research firm estimated YouTube ad revenue at $40.4 billion for 2025.

Ask YouTube is part of Google’s broader rollout of conversational AI across its products. The company introduced AI Mode for Search in 2025, added side-by-side web browsing and product price exploration in 2026, and recently added a project tool called Gemini’s Canvas inside AI Mode.

Separately, YouTube expanded a likeness detection system in April to include celebrities and entertainment figures represented by major talent agencies. The system, which previously covered politicians, government officials and journalists, scans for AI-generated simulated faces in a way similar to the platform’s system for copyrighted material. Leslie Miller, YouTube’s vice president of Government Affairs and Public Policy, described the expansion as ‘about the integrity of the public conversation.’

YouTube is collecting usage data and feedback from the current trial before deciding on a broader release. The company has not shared details on timing or on how the feature will be rolled out to non-Premium users or to audiences outside the United States.