Sean Walsh
Sean is a Director at Intelligency heading up our digital marketing and client services operations. Sean has 15+ years experiencing working both in-house and agency with brands including Lloyds, Alstom, Hitachi, Lufthansa, Viaplay, DFDS Seaways and Mercedes-Benz.
YouTube is experimenting with a new AI feature in its search results – and it could
change how people discover video content on the platform.
The new test, called AI Overviews, shows a scrollable carousel of video highlights
when users search for certain topics. Instead of just listing full videos, YouTube’s AI
picks out and displays what it thinks are the most helpful clips from relevant videos.
Why this matters for marketers and creators
This might sound helpful for viewers but for brands and creators, it could go either
way. On one hand, it might improve content discovery and get your videos in front of
new audiences. On the other, it could reduce clicks and watch time if people only
watch the AI-generated clip instead of the full video.
We’ve already seen how Google’s AI Overviews in search can reduce traffic to
websites. If YouTube rolls out this AI feature more widely, creators might see a
similar dip in views.
What we know so far
Only a small group of users can see it right now – specifically, some
YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S.
It’s focused on specific types of searches, like product reviews or travel
recommendations. Think: “best wireless earbuds” or “things to do in San
Francisco.”
YouTube is gathering feedback on the test – users can give a thumbs up or
down on what the AI recommends. This will help decide whether the feature is
rolled out more broadly.
What’s next?
YouTube runs tests like this all the time to see what helps people find and enjoy
content more easily. If you’re seeing something new on your YouTube account that
others aren’t – chances are, you’re part of a test group.
It’s worth keeping an eye on this one. If AI Overviews become a standard feature,
marketers and creators may need to think differently about how their videos are
structured – especially if only the most “useful” parts are being shown.
