YouTube will let you build your own algorithm with AI
YouTube is introducing a new feature that allows users to create custom, AI-powered feeds using natural language prompts. By leveraging Google's Gemini model, users can curate specific content streams based on their interests, moods, or situational needs.
Why it matters
This represents a significant shift in how social media platforms manage content discovery, moving from opaque, platform-controlled algorithms to user-defined, personalized curation.
YouTube says it’s going to let you build your own algorithm — well, kind of. The company on Wednesday announced a new feature called custom feeds that allows you to describe, in your own words, the kinds of videos you’d like YouTube to recommend to you.
To create one, you type a description of what you want the feed to be about into a prompt box on YouTube, whether that’s a feed dedicated to a particular interest or one that serves some other purpose. For instance, YouTube suggests you could build a feed of video podcasts to watch during your 30-minute train commute, or you could request videos for a particular mood, like “relaxing commentary videos to unwind with.”
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