Google hands out free AI upgrade to 100 million YouTube viewers – it’s so useful but ‘eligible’ users need to claim it
MILLIONS of YouTube users are eligible for a free upgrade using artificial intelligence to make the viewing experience smoother, but you must have a certain account to try it out.
For just over three weeks, Google’s YouTube is allowing premium members to jump ahead past certain parts of a video often skipped with just the click of the button.
The new feature is using “controversial AI” technology to determine how and why users would skip part of a video.
When watching a video, eligible users will see a button appear in the bottom right corner reading “Jump Ahead.”
By clicking on the button, the video will automatically skip to a section that viewers commonly jump to when watching.
Until May 21, YouTube is asking premium members to test out the feature.
In the trial, the company will ask users about the video they are watching and pick from a number of prompts to share feedback.
Providing feedback is said to not interfere with playback of any videos, with it appearing just below the viewed clips.
“This experiment uses conversational AI to answer questions about videos that you’re watching, recommend content and help you learn – all without interrupting playback,” YouTube has said.
The feature is only available for the YouTube Android app for users 18 years or older that are based in the United States.
It reportedly does not yet appear on every video, however, the ones it does show up on appear to have many views, according to 9to5Google.
It is also reportedly only available for videos in English.
Be sure to review your account settings to see if you are eligible to test out the new feature.
Eligible users can sign up to be a part of the test study by filling out a form with Google’s User Experience Research group.
If selected, participants will receive a follow-up questionnaire and details on next steps.
Participants are also expected to receive a gift card at the end of the trial.
YouTube Premium – the full list of perks
According to Google, a $13.99-a-month YouTube Premium membership gets you...
Unlimited ad-free videos: Immerse yourself in more of your favourite videos without waiting for ads. Find helpful how-to’s, try new recipes or work out with your favourite creators – all without any interruptions.
Enjoy videos offline: Watch any time, anywhere – download videos and watch them whenever, wherever, without the need for mobile data or Wi-Fi.
Background play: Keep watching – whether the screen’s off or you’re using other apps, you can continue playing your videos in the background with zero interruptions.
An app made just for music: With YouTube Premium, you get uninterrupted access to stream all that you want on the YouTube Music app. Listen to the world’s largest music catalogue with over 100 million songs, ad free – enjoy personalised mixes, playlists to fit every mood, chart-toppers from around the world and more, all without ads.
GOOGLE AND AI
The “Jump Ahead” technology isn’t the only AI Google has been experimenting with in recent months.
In March, the company announced it was enhancing its shopping features with AI to help streamline the online shopping experience.
Google revealed it would be using AI to help “generate images” in searches to assist shoppers in finding the perfect clothing item.
Google also recently said it developed an AI model to help forecast the weather called Scalable Ensemble Envelope Diffusion Sampler (SEEDS).
The model uses AI to generate a large number of weather forecasts at one time allowing for wider analysis and predictions.
“This technology opens up novel opportunities for weather and climate science, and it represents one of the first applications to weather and climate forecasting of probabilistic diffusion models,” Google said in March.