YouTube adds AI-made custom feeds to let users shape recommendations

In short: YouTube is rolling out “custom feeds” that let you type what you want to watch, then AI builds a separate recommendations feed for you.

What happened

YouTube announced a new feature called custom feeds. It lets you describe, in your own words, the kinds of videos you want YouTube to recommend.

To make a custom feed, you type a request into a prompt box (a text field where you write instructions, like telling a helper what you want). YouTube suggests examples like “video podcasts for a 30-minute train commute” or “relaxing commentary videos to unwind with.”

YouTube says the feature uses Google’s Gemini AI model to create the feed. An AI model is software trained on lots of examples so it can make useful guesses, like a very advanced autocomplete. The new feed will appear as its own tab pinned at the top of your YouTube home page, and you can create multiple custom feeds.

YouTube says custom feeds will not replace the main YouTube home feed. Instead, they are meant to make it easier to jump into a specific kind of viewing when you open the app.

The company says the rollout will start next month on YouTube’s website and mobile apps.

Why it matters

YouTube has more than 20 billion videos, so the usual one size fits all home page can feel noisy. Custom feeds are like making your own TV channels inside YouTube (for commuting, learning, or a certain mood), without needing to search every time. It also gives people more direct control over recommendations, which many users have wanted across social apps.

Source: TechCrunch AI