YouTube is supposedly testing a new feature that, with the help of AI, will allow most viewers to skip to the point in a video where they start watching.

According to 9to5Google, the "Jump Ahead" feature began testing among a small group of YouTube Premium users in March, but is now more widely accessible through YouTube Labs pages. However, it is not entirely clear how "small" the initial experiment was, as some users were automatically opted in when YouTube began the experiment.

By leveraging AI and viewing data, YouTube is now able to identify the main focus points of a video, such as the parts viewers often skip or the points at which viewers tune out. This new feature is easily enabled and takes advantage of the double-tap to skip feature already prominent in the YouTube app.

When a video is skipped by double-tapping, a "Jump ahead" button appears in the lower right corner. This button disappears in case the user wishes to skip a few seconds of the video. When the button is pressed, the video "jumps to where most viewers would normally skip". Also, similar to Premium's control feature, an overlay appears with the Premium logo that says "jumps over sections that are often skipped."

For most viewers, this feature can save a few seconds in time-limited viewing or simply jump to the most popular clips. It is worth noting, however, that this feature does not work for all videos available on the site, but rather appears to work for videos that have been viewed more frequently and for which a point of interest can be determined.

Additionally, the Jump Ahead feature is only available on the YouTube Android app in the US and is compatible with videos in English. Premium members must participate in the experiment through the YouTube Labs page or YouTube app settings. The experiment is set to end on June 1, 2024, although we speculate that this date may be extended.

The new Jump Ahead feature experiment joins the likes of the "Ask" feature that debuted on YouTube Premium late last year. This feature also used AI in the form of a conversational chatbot to help users ask questions about videos and summarize comments.

The "Ask" button on the video page allowed users to "interact with the AI" to learn more about the video content, provide further video recommendations, and summarize the video to make the content easier to digest. Answers were reportedly generated by a large-scale language model that gathered information from YouTube as well as other sources on the Internet.

YouTube has also recently begun enforcing stricter rules for creators to disclose whether their videos feature "altered or synthesized" content, including generative AI. Creators are now required to flag any realistic content they upload that could be mistaken for real video. In other words, anything containing unrealistic footage, animation, or special effects is exempt, even if a generative AI was involved in the production.

Although the mandatory measures have not been outlined, YouTube says that the platform will automatically label videos containing AI-generated content if they are not disclosed consistently, especially if they are likely to mislead or confuse viewers.