As per the firm, YouTube is launching an experimental feature that will let users to submit “Notes” alongside videos to offer additional context and details. The function is conceptually comparable to Community Notes on X (previously Twitter), which is why it sounds similar.
According to the Google-owned company, the capability can be used for things like informing viewers when older footage is being presented as current events or making it clear when a song is intended to be a parody.
The debut occurs in the midst of a crucial US election year. Although disinformation played a big role in the 2020 presidential election, the emergence of generative AI is expected to make it even more problematic in 2024. YouTube is probably trying to reduce the amount of false information that circulates on its platform with this new function.
The pilot will initially be available in English on mobile devices in the United States.
YouTube recognizes that errors are to be expected during the testing period, since it expects notes to contain inaccurate information or remarks that don’t fit well with videos. The company is interested in hearing from viewers and producers regarding the caliber of notes, and it intends to draw lessons from the test period.
A restricted group of users will be asked to take notes during the test phase. Those who meet the requirements will have a well-maintained, active YouTube channel.
In the upcoming weeks and months, American viewers will begin to notice notes on videos. Third-party evaluators will score the notes’ correctness and helpfulness during the initial pilot. YouTube will train its systems with these responses.
Notes that are deemed useful by the independent assessors will be displayed beneath a video. Next, a question about whether the letter is “helpful,” “somewhat helpful,” or “unhelpful” will be posed to viewers. They will be questioned about the usefulness or unhelpfulness of a note. One could claim, for example, that a note’s impartial writing style or its citation of reliable sources made it useful.
After then, YouTube will employ an algorithm to decide which notes, based on the ratings they have gotten, are released. Notes that will benefit a wide audience will be found by the algorithm. For example, YouTube is more likely to show a note under a video if a sizable portion of users who previously evaluated notes differently now rate the note as helpful.
According to the corporation, when more remarks are filed and reviewed for all kinds of films on the platform, the system will get better and better. YouTube will assess whether it makes sense to formally launch the feature as it develops.
