YouTube announced on Thursday that it’s bringing Google Lens to YouTube Shorts in the coming weeks. With this integration, viewers will soon be able to use Google Lens to search what they see while watching Shorts.
For example, if you’re watching a Short filmed in a location that you’re interested in visiting, you can select a landmark and ask Lens to identify it. From there, you would be able to learn more about the destination’s culture and history.
By integrating Lens into Shorts, YouTube is working to enhance visual search capabilities and give users more ways to discover and search for content in an intuitive and interactive way.
It makes sense for the company to enhance search capabilities for YouTube Shorts viewers by leveraging Google Lens, especially since TikTok and Instagram Reels don’t offer similar functionality.
Once the functionality rolls out, users will be able to try it out by pausing a Short and then selecting the “Lens” option in the top menu. Then, they will need to need to either draw, highlight, or tap on something they want to search. Lens will then provide visual matches and search results overlaid on the Short. Once you’re done with the Short, you can jump back into the content that you were watching.
Users won’t see ads in search results during the beta phase of Lens in Shorts, YouTube says. The Google-owned company also notes that Lens in Shorts isn’t available for Shorts with YouTube Shopping affiliate links or with paid product promotions.
YouTube is starting to roll out the beta to all viewers this week.
Today’s announcement comes as YouTube has been building out Shorts with added capabilities to take on TikTok and Instagram Reels.
In April, YouTube announced new upcoming features that are designed to help creators publish engaging short-form videos. Creators will get access to an improved video editor, the ability to generate AI stickers, a feature that syncs content to the beat of a song, enhanced templates, and more.