Google's "Ask YouTube" turns video search into a conversation

Google is testing "Ask YouTube," a conversational search feature that replaces the standard video list with a results page combining text, full-length videos, and Shorts. Ask for a three-day road trip plan from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, for instance, and you'll get a structured itinerary with local tips and the option to ask follow-ups, like where to find good cafes along the route. The feature mirrors Google's "AI Mode" in regular search, which the company has also brought to Gmail.

The Verge's Jay Peters tried it out, describing an Apollo 11 search that returned a text overview, a labeled video, and galleries sorted by topic. But the AI got a fact wrong on a query about Valve's Steam Controller - a reminder, Peters notes, that users still need to verify the results. The experiment is limited to YouTube Premium users in the US who are 18 or older and sign up at youtube.com/new. Google says it plans to expand access later.