YouTube promises custom feeds and a lot more AI later this year

At its Made on YouTube event, Google outlined several upcoming features for the platform focused on AI-driven tools and improved user interaction. New additions include customizable homepage feeds, expanded AI 'Ask' features for general videos and music, GIFs in comments, and limited rollout of group chat in YouTube Direct.

By AI Newsroom· Reviewed by Pranav, Founder & Editor-in-ChiefPublished about 2 hours agoUpdated about 2 hours ago0 views

YouTube promises custom feeds and a lot more AI later this year

Why It Matters

These changes aim to give users more control over what they see and introduce deeper AI engagement across discovery, product information, and music curation — shifts that could alter how viewers find and interact with content on YouTube. For creators, the updates signal new ways to surface content and engage audiences through AI-powered features.

Key Facts

Event: Made on YouTube
New feature: Custom Feeds (user-created tabs populated by YouTube based on a typed description)
Custom Feeds rollout: Soon in the US on web, mobile, and TV
Comment feature: GIFs will be postable in comments and Shorts
Direct messaging: Group chat support coming to US, UK, Singapore, Brazil, and some European countries

Google used its Made on YouTube event to preview a slate of upcoming features that lean heavily on artificial intelligence while also introducing a few straightforward user interface changes. One of the most visible additions will be Custom Feeds, which let users create new homepage tabs by entering a description; YouTube will populate those feeds and allow iterative refinement through rewording and rating suggested videos. The company said multiple Custom Feeds can be saved, and the feature will launch soon in the United States across web, mobile, and TV apps.

Interaction options on the platform are also getting updates. YouTube will allow users to post GIFs in comments and Shorts, with a searchable set of animated thumbnails accessible from the comment box. The platform’s direct messaging will add group chat support, though Google is limiting the initial rollout to the US, UK, Singapore, Brazil, and several European markets.

AI-driven experiences are expanding across discovery and music. Ask YouTube, the platform’s conversational AI tool, will appear more prominently and take on a role within product review videos by responding to typed or voice queries and offering organized recommendations and product comparison tables within search. Separately, Ask Music will be more front-and-center in the YouTube Music app, occupying the top of the interface where search used to sit and offering capabilities like creating or editing playlists, providing artist information, and surfacing suggestions while building mixes.

Taken together, the announced changes emphasize both personalized navigation and AI-assisted discovery. Google is positioning these tools to alter how viewers locate information and engage with content, while also providing creators with new mechanisms that could influence content visibility and audience interaction.