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The conversational search chatbot is designed to help users “explore complex questions” with natural language prompts, the company said.
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YouTube is bringing its Ask YouTube artificial intelligence-powered assistant to desktop users in the U.S.
Ask YouTube launched in the app in 2023 and lets users pose conversational questions to expand discovery.
As explained by YouTube: “Ask YouTube is a new, conversational search experience designed to help you explore complex questions and dive deeper into topics you’re curious about. As a complement to standard Search, Ask YouTube responses blend relevant clips, videos and Shorts with helpful text, guiding you quickly to the most useful videos to answer your prompts.”
YouTube suggested that viewers use the tool by “going beyond simple search phrases and asking longer, multi-layered questions.”
The company offered several prompt examples:
- Planning a trip: “Can you help me plan a 3-day road trip from San Francisco to Santa Barbara on a budget?”
- Learning a skill: “What are step-by-step instructions on how to teach a kid to ride a bike?”
- Comparing products: “Compare the best noise-canceling headphones for traveling”
- Decoding content: “What is the meaning behind this song’s lyrics?”
Users can then ask follow-up questions under Ask a follow-up in order to dig deeper into a topic.
Ask YouTube will remain an optional add-on, and YouTube’s traditional search bar will remain functional.
AI discovery tools have become the standard for most platforms, and Ask YouTube is clearly aligned with the shift towards more conversational discovery.
Though YouTube’s expansion to the desktop version of the app has taken some time. YouTube added Ask YouTube to the CTV version of its app in February, so it’s surprising that it’s taken this long to make it to the official YouTube website.
But it’s finally available for all signed-in users in the U.S. aged 13 and older.
“To get started, click the Ask YouTube button in the search bar and type your question using normal, natural language,” YouTube said.
It could be a handy complement to the YouTube discovery process, providing more capacity to dig into topics of interest within the app.