Music
YouTube Labs is a “new way for users to take our cutting edge AI experiments for a test drive.”
For some time now, youtube.com/new has allowed YouTube Premium subscribers to test upcoming features ahead of time before the stable rollout, like more playback speed options.
YouTube Labs is focused solely on “exploring the potential of AI on YouTube.”
Be among the first to discover the next generation of YouTube. Join YouTube Labs to try our latest AI experiments and prototypes.
The first experiment adds AI hosts to YouTube Music that share “relevant stories, fan trivia, and fun commentary about your favorite music” as you “listen to radio & mixes.” The aim of this early prototype is to “deepen your listening experience” with “relevant stories and insights.” It’s akin to DJs on the radio, while the NotebookLM and Gemini app Audio Overview inspiration is clear.
Once enabled, the Now Playing screen will show a new button between the thumbs up/down and comment pills. The icon is an AI sparkle with two waves radiating from it. “Beyond the Beat” is enabled all the time if you opt-in to the experiment, but you can “Snooze for 1 hour” or “Snooze for a day.” YouTube warns how this “AI commentary can contain mistakes.”
YouTube Labs exists as an item in youtube.com/new for a “limited number of US-based participants.” These features “may be disabled without notice.” Additionally: “Quality and accuracy may vary. Your feedback and interactions may be used to improve Google’s products & services.”
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