Google has announced that its Bard AI chatbot can now answer questions about YouTube videos. Although Bard already had the ability to analyze YouTube videos with the launch of the YouTube extension in September, the chatbot can now give you specific answers to queries related to the content of a video.
“We are taking the first steps in Bard’s ability to understand YouTube videos,” the company wrote on the Bard updates page. “For example, if you’re looking for videos on how to make olive oil cake, you can now also ask how many eggs the recipe in the first video requires. We’ve heard you want deeper engagement with YouTube videos. “So we’re expanding YouTube to understand some video content so you can have a richer conversation with Bard about it.”
Before this latest update, the YouTube extension for Bard could only be used to search for specific videos. For example, you can ask the chatbot to find funny videos for you. Now, you can ask the chatbot specific questions about the content of the videos. Let’s say you’re watching a travel video and you see a place you really like, you can ask Bard where that place is located.
The announcement comes two weeks after YouTube began experimenting with new generative AI features, including a conversational AI tool that answers questions about YouTube content, along with a new feature that summarizes topics in a video’s comments.
The conversational tool’s responses are generated using large language models that leverage information from YouTube and the web. Users can ask questions about the video they are currently watching and the conversation with the AI occurs while the video plays. The comment summary tool leverages generative AI to organize discussion topics into comment sections to give users an overview of what people have been saying.
The update also comes as Google opened up access to Bard to teenagers in most countries around the world. The search giant said in a blog post that teens can use the tool to “find inspiration, discover new hobbies, and solve everyday problems.” Teens can ask Bard about important topics, like which colleges to apply to, or more fun topics, like how to learn a new sport.
