YouTube unveiled Ask YouTube, an AI-powered conversational search feature for Premium subscribers in the United States on desktop, at Google I/O 2026 in Mountain View, California. The company also announced the integration of Google's Gemini Omni video model into YouTube Shorts Remix and the YouTube Create app, along with an expansion of its likeness-detection tool for creators.

Ask YouTube is designed to provide a more sophisticated search experience through conversational queries entered in YouTube's search bar. The tool compiles both Shorts and long-form videos and generates a response to user queries. Premium subscribers in the U.S. on desktop can begin using the feature through the platform's offerings for testing new tools. YouTube explained the feature allows users to refine their searches interactively: "You can even ask follow-up questions to continue refining what you're looking for."

The addition of Gemini Omni, Google's new AI video model, will power creative tools inside Shorts Remix and the YouTube Create app. YouTube said in a press release: "The model better understands user intent creating more consistent and meaningful storytelling while also handling complex video and audio adjustments behind the scenes."

YouTube is also expanding its likeness-detection tool to creators 18 and older, a measure intended to help prevent creators from being deepfaked in other people's AI-generated content. If a creator sees themselves misrepresented in AI videos, they can request that the video be removed.

The YouTube announcements were part of a broader set of disclosures at Google I/O 2026, where Sundar Pichai presented Google's vision for an "Agentic Gemini Era," describing AI that moves beyond simple assistants to autonomous systems integrated across Search, Android, Workspace, YouTube, Cloud, and developer tools. Other upgrades introduced at the event included conversational AI Search agents, Docs Live, and Gemini 3.5 Flash.

Google processes 3.2 quadrillion AI tokens monthly and has more than 900 million Gemini app users.