YouTube Experiments with AI Summarization for Comments on Shorts

YouTube is evaluating its AI-driven tool, designed to summarize topics in comments for Shorts. This trial tool is accessible exclusively through the video platform's mobile applications on iOS and Android, targeting a select group of Shorts featuring extensive comment volumes from specific content creators. This tool organizes the comments section by grouping popular discussions using AI technology. AI topics were introduced last year, with a subsequent global launch for full-length videos. Additionally, YouTube is experimenting with a novel AI tool for creating custom green screen backgrounds for Shorts, named the Dream Screen.

Exploring AI Summarization in Shorts

As detailed on its support page dedicated to testing functionalities and experiments, YouTube divulged information about its comment summarization tool for Shorts. These vertically formatted, endlessly scrollable videos have grown increasingly familiar on the platform. YouTube's addition of the comment topics tool aims to enhance user engagement within discussions. The AI-driven tool efficiently gathers all comments, searches for recurring keywords, and then segregates and titles the most discussed topics.

For prolonged videos, such topics become visible in the app's comment area, where entering triggers the display of a 'Topics' tab atop the section. Clicking on this tab reveals various tagged topics, with each showcasing corresponding comments to facilitate user navigation towards engaging discussions.

Throughout this testing phase, the AI-driven topics will feature on Shorts by selected creators involved in the test groups. YouTube opts for Shorts with ample comments to demonstrate topics, limiting this display to a handful of viewers on the mobile application.

Creators looking to omit a topic must individually remove comments linked to that topic. YouTube clarified that the AI leverages only publicly posted comments for thematic grouping. Comments pending review, containing prohibited terms, or from banned users will be disregarded.