YouTube announced an expansion of its conversational artificial intelligence tool to smart TVs, meaning that users watching YouTube content on their television sets can now ask the chatbot spoken questions.
YouTube’s conversational AI chatbot allows viewers to ask about what they’re viewing and get in-stream responses.
As explained by YouTube: “While watching a video, you can select the ‘Ask’ button to open the tool. Using your remote’s microphone button, you’ll be able to make conversational queries, such as ‘What are other popular videos from this creator?’ Several default prompts will help you get started if you don’t know what to ask.”
YouTube said it began testing the option for Smart TVs in February, expanding on its existing in-app AI features.
And while not all TVs will be able to support this option, it adds another element to the connected TV viewing experience. That could help expand AI tools to more areas and get viewers more comfortable seeking out related information within a single experience.
Though some people will also have questions around how the microphone connection works, and it will likely spark all-new conspiracy theories about how YouTube is listening to private conversations in order to serve more relevant ads.
Which it (probably) isn’t, however, having a direct audio connection to the app from users’ homes will raise the eyebrows of privacy advocates.
Will it be worth risking potential criticism in order to facilitate AI chatbot usage aligned with YouTube video clips on TV? Maybe not, but YouTube is pushing ahead either way, which will add another aspect to CTV viewing.
Source link
