The competition to enhance conversational AI in home entertainment is intensifying, with YouTube leading the charge by introducing its AI tool to smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices.
This innovative feature, which was previously accessible only on mobile and web platforms, now allows users to interact with the AI directly on their largest screen. Viewers can pose questions about the content they're watching without interrupting their viewing experience.
As detailed on YouTube's support page, eligible users can simply click the "Ask" button on their TV to engage the AI assistant. The tool provides suggested questions tailored to the video, or users can utilize their remote's microphone to ask anything related to the content. For example, inquiries about recipe ingredients or song lyrics can be answered instantly, enhancing the viewing experience.
Currently, this feature is available to select users over 18 and supports multiple languages, including English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean.
YouTube initially launched this conversational AI tool in 2024 to enrich content exploration. The move to integrate it with TVs comes as more Americans are turning to YouTube as their primary television source. A Nielsen report from April 2025 revealed that YouTube captured 12.4% of total television viewing time, outpacing major competitors such as Disney and Netflix.
Other tech giants are also making strides in conversational AI. Amazon has introduced Alexa+ on its Fire TV devices, allowing users to engage in natural dialogue and request personalized content recommendations or specific movie scenes. Roku has similarly upgraded its AI voice assistant to respond to open-ended questions about films and shows. Netflix is also experimenting with an AI-driven search experience.
In addition to these advancements, YouTube has recently launched features aimed at improving the TV viewing experience, such as automatically enhancing lower-resolution videos to full HD. The platform continues to innovate with features like a comments summarizer to keep viewers updated on discussions and an AI-driven search results carousel. Furthermore, creators will soon be able to produce Shorts using AI-generated versions of themselves.
Recently, YouTube unveiled a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, offering users the chance to enjoy their favorite content on a virtual screen that mimics a theater experience.