YouTube is testing an AI feature that will let you skip to the best parts of a video

Premium user or not, YouTube is certainly the go-to platform to stream everything. Whether you’re catching up on a mini-series or content from your favourite YouTuber, there’s no denying that there’s something for everyone on the platform. The video streaming website and smartphone app introduced ‘Cards’ a couple of years ago for users to skip to relevant sections more efficiently. However, a recent development observed on the platform revealed an artificial intelligence-led feature that could ‘jump ahead’ for you. Here’s everything you need to know about it: 

YouTube AI jump ahead feature: What's there to know?

YouTube recently allowed a small sub-section of YouTube users to jump ahead or skip the best part of a video clip. Instead of the regular 10-second double-tap button, users observed a pill-shaped icon at the bottom right corner that took them to the most watched part of the video. Once a user taps this button, the screen will display a message stating “jumping over commonly skipped section” and the button will later disappear. 

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According to the video streaming platform, this is determined using artificial intelligence and user watch behaviour to determine which is the most skipped section in a YouTube video. Additionally, the feature will be available for content creators with a Premium subscription, and can be used for your own videos as well. 

When will this feature be available for everyone?

As of today, YouTube only seems to be testing this feature on Android smartphone users based in the US. It also seems like it will be available for a short period of time, with the trial period ending for these users on June 1. Based on feedback, the feature may be extended to other countries and languages; as of today, it is restricted to English-language videos only. 

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Apart from this, several reports also mentioned how YouTube was testing another AI-based feature known as ‘Ask’, which generates questions based on the video. However, it currently remains to be seen how the brand further integrates this technology into the day-to-day workings of the app.