Google is completely revamping its search experience, and that doesn’t stop at YouTube. Like the rest of Google, YouTube’s search bar is getting infused with AI tools like “Ask YouTube,” a feature that is supposed to give users a more sophisticated search experience.

“With Ask YouTube, you can ask more complex search queries, such as wanting tips on how to teach your kid to ride a bike, or finding creator reviews of cozy games to play before bedtime,” the company explained. “You can even ask follow-up questions to continue refining what you’re looking for.”

YouTube will compile both Shorts and long-form videos and generate a response.

Premium subscribers in the U.S. on desktop can start using this feature now through YouTube’s optional Premium offerings to test new tools.

Image Credits:Google

The company also announced that it is adding Gemini Omni, Google’s new AI video model, to YouTube Shorts Remix and the YouTube Create app.

“Remixing with Omni delivers a fresh way for users to create and build on each other’s imagination,” YouTube wrote in a press release. “The model better understands user intent creating more consistent and meaningful storytelling while also handling complex video and audio adjustments behind the scenes.”

Other companies like Meta and OpenAI have seen mixed reception when pushing for AI use in Shorts. OpenAI even sunsetted its social app Sora, where users could post and share their AI-generated clips. But YouTube seems to be rolling this out in a manner that feels a bit less front and center.

YouTube is also expanding its likeness-detection tool to creators 18 and older, which is supposed to help prevent creators from being deepfaked in other people’s AI content. If a creator sees themselves misrepresented in AI videos, they can request that the video be removed. Since this feature is only now expanding more broadly, it remains to be seen how effective it is.

Topics

Apps, gemini omni, Google I/O, google i/o 2026, Media & Entertainment, Social, YouTube, YouTube Shorts

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Amanda Silberling

Senior Writer

Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos.

You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing amanda@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal.

View Bio

May 27

Athens, Greece

StrictlyVC Athens is up next. Hear unfiltered insights straight from Europe’s tech leaders and connect with the people shaping what’s ahead. Lock in your spot before it’s gone.

'Ask YouTube' brings AI-powered conversational search to video, adds Gemini Omni to Shorts