YouTube has been trying out new features for its users, which they call experiments. The latest experimental feature is called "Jump Ahead," which uses AI to jump to the "best" parts of YouTube videos.
This new feature works in conjunction with the double-tap functionality already available in the YouTube app for Android or iOS, allowing you to fast forward through a video in 10-second increments until you reach the part that interests you.
The "Jump" feature analyzes user viewing data and combines it with a machine learning algorithm to automatically detect the next "sweet spot" in the video that may be of interest to the viewer. It then provides a prompt that takes you to that point pointed by the on-screen "Jump Forward" button.
YouTube says the Jump Ahead feature will be available to creators watching their own videos, even if they don’t currently subscribe to YouTube Premium. For the rest of us, Jump Ahead is currently in testing among YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. (it was previously only available to a small group of Premium subscribers.) In addition to a YouTube Premium membership, you'll also need the Android version of the YouTube app program. The feature is currently limited to English-language videos, so videos in other languages are currently unavailable.
Previously, YouTube introduced a similar feature in the form of a graph integrated into a video's progress bar, showing you the "most replayed" parts of the video. Initially, the most replayed feature will also be exclusive to YouTube Premium subscribers, so it's possible that Jump Ahead will become a full-fledged option in the future if it proves popular and effective. There's no word yet on when the feature will roll out more broadly, but the experiment is expected to end on June 1, so we'll see what YouTube decides to do by then. Last year, the company also tested, then removed, and then reintroduced the option to watch any video at double speed by holding down the video player in the YouTube app.
