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AI Arrives On The Biggest Screen
The new feature allows viewers to ask questions while watching a video — without leaving the app. By clicking the “Ask” button on screen, users can choose suggested prompts or use their remote’s microphone to submit their own question.
For example, a viewer can ask about recipe ingredients, the meaning behind song lyrics, or request related content recommendations. Responses appear instantly, without interrupting playback.
The feature is currently available to selected users aged 18 and over and supports English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese and Korean.
YouTube first introduced the conversational AI tool in 2024. The expansion to televisions comes as TV viewing on YouTube continues to grow. According to Nielsen data from April 2025, YouTube accounted for 12.4% of total television viewing time in the United States, surpassing platforms such as Disney and Netflix.
How It Works And What Data Is Collected
According to YouTube’s official documentation, responses are generated using large language models (LLMs) that draw information from YouTube and the wider web.
Key points include:
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Conversations linked to a Google Account are automatically deleted after 45 days
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Some anonymised conversations may be retained for up to three years to improve quality
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The tool is not available for supervised child accounts or within the YouTube Kids app
YouTube also states that responses may be inaccurate and should not be relied upon as legal, medical or financial advice.
AI In The Living Room: Competition Intensifies
YouTube is not alone in this shift.
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Amazon has introduced Alexa+ on Fire TV
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Roku has expanded its AI voice assistant to handle open-ended questions
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Netflix is testing AI-powered search
The objective is clear: keep users inside one platform for longer and simplify content discovery.
YouTube is also continuing to roll out additional AI-driven features, including a comments summariser, an AI-powered search carousel, and tools allowing creators to generate Shorts using AI versions of their own likeness. Last week, the company also launched a dedicated app for Apple Vision Pro.
What This Means For E-commerce And Marketers
For brands and retailers, this represents a meaningful shift in user behaviour:
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Viewers no longer need to search externally for products seen in videos — they can ask directly within the app
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There is new importance placed on optimising video content and metadata
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AI-driven recommendations may influence which related content is surfaced
For European e-commerce brands, this signals that YouTube should increasingly be viewed as a search environment within the TV ecosystem — not just a video platform.
As television viewing continues to grow, YouTube is gradually evolving into a hybrid between traditional broadcast TV and an interactive search engine.
