YouTube brings conversational AI to smart TVs

YouTube is expanding its conversational AI tool to smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices, bringing the interactive feature to the largest screens in the home. The tool allows users to ask questions about the content they are watching without leaving the video. According to a YouTube support page, eligible users can click the “Ask” button on their TV screen to summon the AI assistant.

The conversational AI tool, which YouTube first launched in 2024 to help viewers explore content in greater depth, is currently limited to eligible users over 18. The feature supports five languages: English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean. This expansion to living room devices comes as a growing number of Americans access YouTube through their television screens. According to a report from April 2025 by Nielsen, an audience measurement company, YouTube accounted for 12.4% of total television audience time.

The rollout places YouTube in direct competition with other major technology and streaming companies that are integrating artificial intelligence into the television experience. For example, Amazon rolled out Alexa+, its AI voice assistant for Fire TV devices, which enables users to engage in natural conversations. Meanwhile, Roku has enhanced its own AI voice assistant to handle open-ended questions, and Netflix is currently testing its own AI search experience.

This television launch follows other recent platform expansions by YouTube. Last week, the company launched a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, a virtual reality headset, which allows users to watch content on a virtual screen in an immersive environment. The integration of conversational AI into smart TVs and streaming devices represents a broader effort by the company to embed interactive, AI-driven tools directly into the core viewing experience.

Why it matters

The expansion of conversational AI to TVs reflects the growing importance of the living room as a platform for AI interaction. As television viewing increasingly shifts to digital platforms, YouTube is deploying these interactive tools to maintain its significant share of television audience time.