You can now hyperpersonalize your YouTube algorithm using plain language.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Google announced several new, mostly AI-driven features for YouTube. One standout is the Custom Feeds button, which will soon allow users to create customized feeds. The function will work via a large language model, so users can click a button and describe in plain language the type of \u201cvibe\u201d they want their custom feed to focus on. Examples, as presented by YouTube in the announcement<\/a>, include \u201cevening wind down with long documentaries\u201d and \u201cnew DIY creators.\u201d<\/p>\n The tabs will be accessible on the YouTube homepage via a \u201cYour custom feeds\u201d button tucked under the Search bar. Once you click it, the AI also recommends some customized feed options that it thinks you could be interested in. For me, personally, I was served up prompt options such as \u201ccozy pop girl feed\u201d and \u201cAI policy breakdowns under 15 mins.\u201d<\/p>\n Once you create a customized feed, you will be able to switch between that and the regular YouTube algorithm. You can also go back and edit what you want your customized feed to show whenever you want, and make the prompt as detailed and multi-layered or vague as you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n Algorithm personalization is all the rage on social media platforms nowadays. Meta\u2019s Instagram, for example, unveiled a \u201cYour Algorithm<\/a>\u201d tab late last year where users will be able to see what shapes their Feed or Reels algorithms and adjust what they want to see more or less of. Meta also recently unveiled a custom feed option on Threads<\/a>, its X rival platform. On TikTok, users can give direct feedback on which topics they want to see more or less of, and TikTok\u2019s algorithm will make those changes, including by blocking any related words or synonyms via its AI-driven Smart Keyword Filters<\/a> feature.<\/p>\n Also on Wednesday, Spotify began rolling out a similar customization feature. Premium subscribers aged 18 and up in the United States will be able to use the beta version of Taste Profiles, a feature that not only shows how Spotify\u2019s algorithm understands the user\u2019s taste in music, podcasts and audiobooks, but also allows them to tweak it. Users can access the feature on the mobile app by clicking their profile picture, then selecting Taste Profiles, where Spotify will give three brief summaries on how it curates your feed across music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Underneath each summary is the \u201cTell us more\u201d section, where users can tell Spotify\u2019s algorithm what they want to see more or less of using plain language.<\/p>\n \u201cYour notes act as gentle guidance, steering your Home feed toward music, podcasts, and audiobooks you\u2019ll be excited to discover and away from content that no longer fits your taste,\u201d Spotify said in a press release. \u201cChanges typically appear within a few hours and you can edit or delete your notes whenever you want.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of these features across platforms rely on AI, both to provide an easy, plain-language user interface for user-driven customization, and to create hyperpersonalized social media feeds<\/a> that platform operators are betting will translate to even more user engagement.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, our apps feel like algorithms that recommend content,\u201d Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors in an earnings call earlier this year. \u201cSoon, you\u2019ll open our apps, and you\u2019ll have an AI that understands you<\/a> and also happens to be able to show you great content or even generate great personalized content for you.\u201d<\/p>\n