As competition grows to bring smarter AI into the living room, YouTube has extended its conversational AI feature to smart TVs, gaming consoles and streaming devices. The experimental tool, which was earlier available only on mobile devices and the web, now allows users to interact with AI directly on their television screens without interrupting their viewing experience.
According to YouTube’s support page, eligible users can select the “Ask” button on their TV to activate the AI assistant. The tool suggests questions based on the video being watched, or viewers can press the microphone button on their remote to ask their own queries. For example, users can ask about recipe ingredients in a cooking video or the meaning behind song lyrics and receive instant responses without pausing or leaving the app. The feature is currently available to select users aged over 18 and supports English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese and Korean.
YouTube first introduced the conversational AI tool in 2024 to help viewers explore content more deeply. Its expansion to televisions reflects shifting viewing habits. A Nielsen report from April 2025 found that YouTube accounted for 12.4% of total television audience time in the U.S., surpassing platforms such as Disney and Netflix. The move signals YouTube’s effort to strengthen engagement on the biggest screen in the home.
Other companies are also advancing conversational AI for TV audiences. Amazon launched Alexa+ on Fire TV devices, enabling natural conversations, personalized recommendations, scene searches and details about actors and filming locations. Roku upgraded its AI voice assistant to answer open-ended questions like “What’s this movie about?” Meanwhile, Netflix is testing an AI-powered search experience. YouTube has also introduced AI features such as automatic upgrades to full HD for lower-resolution uploads, a comments summarizer, an AI-driven search results carousel and tools allowing creators to generate Shorts using AI versions of their likeness. Last week, YouTube released a dedicated app for Apple Vision Pro, offering an immersive theatre-sized virtual viewing experience.
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