Prime Highlight
- YouTube has expanded its conversational AI tool to smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices, allowing viewers to ask real-time questions without pausing videos.
- The move reflects a broader industry push toward AI-assisted viewing, as platforms compete to make content discovery more interactive and personalized in the living room.
Key Facts
- A 2025 report by Nielsen found YouTube accounted for 12.4% of total TV watch time, surpassing Disney and Netflix.
- The AI tool is currently available to a limited group of users over 18, supports five languages, including English and Hindi, and was first introduced in 2024 for mobile and web users.
Background
YouTube has expanded its conversational AI tool to smart TVs, gaming consoles and streaming devices, bringing real-time question-and-answer capabilities to the largest screen in the home.
The feature allows viewers to click an “Ask” button while watching a video to get instant information without pausing playback. Users can choose suggested questions or speak through their remote’s microphone to ask about topics such as recipe ingredients, song meanings or on-screen details.
The tool is currently available to a limited group of users over 18 and supports five languages, including English and Hindi. YouTube first introduced the AI assistant in 2024 for mobile and web users as a way to help audiences explore content more deeply.
The expansion comes as television has become YouTube’s biggest viewing platform. A 2025 report by Nielsen showed the service accounted for 12.4% of total TV watch time, surpassing Disney and Netflix.
Other streaming players are also investing in conversational AI. Amazon launched Alexa+ on Fire TV so people can use natural voice commands and get personalized recommendations. Roku also upgraded its voice assistant to answer open-ended questions about movies and shows. Netflix is testing an AI-powered search experience.
YouTube has introduced several additional AI features for television, including automatic enhancement of lower-resolution videos to full HD, an AI comments summarizer and an AI-driven search carousel. The company also plans to let creators generate AI versions of their likeness for Shorts.
In a separate move, YouTube recently released a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, enabling users to watch videos on a virtual theatre-sized screen.
The rollout signals a broader shift toward AI-assisted viewing, as streaming platforms compete to make content discovery more interactive and personalized in the living room.