YouTube tests a new AI fast forward feature to help stop watching videos from being boring

This feature is being tested with some YouTube Premium users in the US.

YouTube tests a new AI fast forward feature to help stop watching videos from being boring Picture 1

To be able to predict and jump to sections that followers want to reach, this feature uses user watch interaction behavior data and AI. When users double-tap the screen to fast forward, on eligible videos a new button will appear that jumps to the AI-predicted position in the timeline.

This test is one of YouTube's efforts to make the service more efficient and engaging. Additionally, this seems to be a reasonable strategy for Google's video social network to attract users to switch to Premium.

It is unclear whether this feature can become a regular feature after the company completes testing. However, it may seem strange for an advertising company to offer non-paying users a way to reduce the value of video ad placements.

Recently, YouTube is also testing content recommendations based on the main color of the video. After the user chooses 1 of 3 colors Red, Blue and Green, the feed page will be adjusted based on the selected color.

Marvin Fry

Update 30 March 2024