YouTube said it will soon let U.S. users create custom feeds from its homepage, using conversational AI prompts to build feeds around specific interests or moods.. The feature will roll out on web, mobile and TVs in the United States. YouTube said users will be able to set up feeds for areas such as workouts, documentaries or niche creators..
YouTube also expanded its shows feature to Shorts, allowing creators to arrange short videos episodically with custom thumbnails and sequential playback. The change is aimed at making serialized Shorts easier to follow, including microdrama content.. The company said users will soon be able to post GIFs in comments under videos.
The searchable GIF library will launch globally in the YouTube mobile app this fall.. On YouTube TV apps, users can now post comments with their voice through a text-to-speech tool, if their TV supports the feature.. YouTube is adding more shopping functions to Ask YouTube.
The tool will offer video recommendations and comparison tables for product review queries, and users will be able to ask about products shown in videos even when those items are not mentioned.. Ask YouTube will also let users continue conversations from the search screen to the video player.
YouTube said the updates were part of announcements made at its annual product event on Wednesday.. YouTube Music is also getting updates. The Ask Music tool will let users learn more about artists and adjust their song queue..
A generative AI feature called Podcast Lineup will offer weekly previews of suggested shows and explain why they may be relevant before taking users to podcast episodes. YouTube said Podcast Lineup and the Ask Music updates will be available globally to YouTube Music and Premium subscribers..
YouTube also extended its exclusive rights to stream Coachella through 2030. The company said it plans to begin piloting a live auto-dubbing tool in early 2027 for real-time translation of creator speech, starting with English and Spanish.. Google also introduced Go Live Together, which lets creators host livestreams with other creators, and React Live, which works across eligible long-form videos and livestreams..
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