Google tests AI hosts for YouTube Music
AI hosts on YouTube Music resemble a radio jockey, adding stories and trivia but may occasionally provide inaccurate information.
Google is testing AI-generated hosts for YouTube Music through its new YouTube Labs programme. The AI hosts will appear while users listen to mixes and radio stations, providing commentary, fan trivia, and stories to enrich the listening experience.
The feature is designed to resemble a radio jockey but relies on AI, so there is a risk of occasional inaccuracies.
YouTube Labs, similar to Google Labs, allows the company to trial new AI features and gather user feedback before wider release. The AI hosts are currently available to a limited group of US testers, who can sign up via YouTube Labs and snooze commentary for an hour or all day.
The rollout follows Google’s Audio Overviews in NotebookLM, which turns research papers and documents into podcast-style summaries. Past AI experiments on YouTube, such as automatic dubbing, faced criticism as viewers had limited control over translations.
The AI hosts experiment shows Google’s push to integrate AI across its apps, enhancing engagement while monitoring feedback before wider rollout.
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