How to use YouTube’s new AI update to take total control of your video recommendations

YouTube is finally giving users a way to get some freedom from its all-encompassing algorithm by giving them a chance to personalize what they see on their feed. The new feature from Google's streaming platform, called ‘custom feeds’, uses the power of Gemini to allow users to customize what they want to see more of in their feeds.

“Simply enter a custom prompt… and we’ll create a new, constantly refreshing feed that you can quickly jump into at any time,” YouTube wrote in the announcement on its official YouTube community forum.

YouTube had first confirmed in November last year that it was testing the feature via an experiment for select users, and the feature is now finally making its way to all users.

How does custom feed work?

The new feature allows users to create recommendation feeds based on their interests, mood, or even specific viewing goals. Instead of relying on what the algorithm thinks you want to watch, you can type specific custom prompts like “give me something different beyond my usual feed” or “help me unwind after work with guided meditations under 10 minutes”.

The prompt can be as detailed or short as you like, and YouTube will then use its AI to generate the custom feed for you. These feeds can then be pinned on top of your YouTube homepage so you can access that content instantly.

How to access YouTube custom feeds

• Open the YouTube app on your phone. Make sure you have YouTube search and watch history enabled.
• Look for the “Your custom feed” chip pinned directly at the top of your Home page.
• Type a specific custom prompt or select from automated suggestions.
• If the content recommendations begin to feel stale, edit the text prompt directly inside the feed's header to instantly refresh the space.

How it works

Start your feed: Tap the “Your custom feed” chip at the top of your Home page.

Tell us what you’re curious about: Enter a prompt describing what you’re looking for, or choose from suggested prompts, and we’ll create a special feed for you.

Change up the vibe: You can edit your prompt at any time directly in the text box at the top of your custom feed to generate a brand new space.

Who can use custom feeds?

The new feature is only available to users in the US using the streaming platform's mobile app. The feature is also currently limited to English only.

Another downside for privacy-conscious users is that the feature only works if YouTube search and watch history are enabled, meaning users must allow Google to continuously track what they search for and watch.

YouTube to add AI labels to videos

In related news, YouTube also announced that it will now automatically start adding disclaimers when it detects content that is ‘photorealistic and meaningfully AI altered’.

For long videos, the labels will appear directly below the video player. For Shorts, the AI disclaimer will appear as an overlay directly on the video itself.