Google’s Bard AI chatbot can now answer questions about YouTube videos

Google has announced that its Bard AI chatbot can now answer questions about YouTube videos. Although Bard already had the ability to analyze YouTube videos with the launch of the YouTube Extension back in September, the chatbot can now give you specific answers about queries related to the content of a video.

“We’re taking the first steps in Bard’s ability to understand YouTube videos,” the company wrote on Bard’s updates page. “For example, if you’re looking for videos on how to make olive oil cake, you can now also ask how many eggs the recipe in the first video requires. We’ve heard you want deeper engagement with YouTube videos. So we’re expanding the YouTube Extension to understand some video content so you can have a richer conversation with Bard about it.”

Before this latest update, the YouTube Extension for Bard could only be used to find specific videos. For instance, you could ask the chatbot to find you funny videos. Now, you can ask the chatbot specific questions about the content of videos. Say you’re watching a travel video and see a place you really like, you can ask Bard where the place is located.

The announcement comes two weeks after YouTube started to experiment with new generative AI features, including an AI conversational tool that answers questions about YouTube’s content, along with a new feature that summarizes topics in the comments of a video.

The conversational tool’s responses are generated by large language models that leverage information from YouTube and the web. Users can ask questions about the video they’re currently viewing, and the conversation with the AI happens as the video plays. The comments summarizer tool leverages generative AI to organize the topics of discussion in comment sections to give users an overview of what people have been saying.

The update also comes as Google opened up access to Bard to teens in most countries around the world. The search giant said in a blog post that teens can use the tool to “find inspiration, discover new hobbies and solve everyday problems.” Teens can ask Bard about important topics, like which universities to apply to, or about more fun topics, like how to learn a new sport.