If you want to try out experimental YouTube features, but you don’t have a Premium subscription, a new hub will be right up your alley. By signing up as a YouTube Labs test subject, users can try out the generative AI-powered features that are coming down the YouTube pipeline.
Signups for YouTube Labs can be found on the /new page, which YouTube uses to update its community about the features it is currently testing. Access to those in-development updates often requires a Premium subscription, but as YouTube embraces generative AI, it is bringing customers from its traditional free tier into the mix.
“Be among the first to discover the next generation of YouTube,” reads a description of the new initiative. “Join YouTube Labs to try our latest AI experiments and prototypes.”
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YouTube has certainly been busy on the AI front. The video platform has applied Google’s Gemini large language model across its business, with use cases ranging from age verification to creative inspiration to language dubbing.
Those tools have plenty of promise, but YouTube’s use of generative AI has also drawn its share of scrutiny. Creators have complained that their videos have been scraped for training without their consent, and the pile of AI slop has grown so tall that YouTube changed its rules to promote original uploads.
In one notable incident, YouTube was caught using AI to tweak Shorts videos after they went live. That action wasn’t inconsistent with YouTube’s policies, but it showed the need for clearer communication with creators on the subject of generative AI.
YouTube Labs offers a form of disclosure. By letting users take upcoming AI-powered features for test drives, YouTube can provide more transparency regarding the changes it makes to its platform.
The first YouTube Labs feature is an AI DJ for YouTube Music. If you used Spotify’s disembodied DJ, you’ll know what to expect here: YouTube is adding more personality to playlists without disrupting the streaming experience. If that sounds like something that might interest you, then you know where to go to get your key to the lab.
