They’re giving you the steering wheel. Or at least the horn. YouTube’s new AI tool lets you describe exactly what you want to see. Then it builds a custom feed. No more doom-scrolling through random cat videos just to find that one cooking tutorial you remembered.
Here is the setup
It starts on your homepage. You tap “Your custom feed.” Then you type.
Be specific. Be vague. It doesn’t matter as long as the AI understands the vibe. Want to relax? Try “help me unwind with guided mediations under 10 minutes.” Craving brain food? Ask for “deep-dive tech pods about AI.”
The algorithm listens. It curates the stream. You get a feed built around your mood or specific topic. You can pin it to the top of your page too. One click and you are back where you started. Convenient.
Currently this rolls out to English speakers in the US. Mobile app or desktop. Signed in, of course. You need to sign in for basically anything now anyway.
It works a bit like Spotify’s playlists. You describe a feeling or genre. They build the list. You hit play.
Instagram tried something similar back in December. But their method relied on lists. Topics you clicked. Less nuance. More boxes. This feels more conversational. Less like filling out a tax form.
Fix it or flag it
Mistakes happen. AI is smart but it still has those weird hallucination moments.
If the feed feels off you can edit the prompt anytime. Change the text at the top. Hit generate. Boom. Brand new space. Fresh start.
Not sure why the tab is missing? Check your history. Search and watch history must be on in account settings. Without the data the AI has nothing to grab.
Hate the result? Report it.
Find the three-dot menu on the feature tab. Click “Something wrong?” Give your feedback. They will read it. They might fix it. Or they might not. That is how product updates go. Usually.
It feels like a step toward control. A small one. We trade our history for this magic trick. The question isn’t whether it works. The question is how much privacy you are willing to barter for the perfect recommendation.
Who knows? Maybe we stop watching altogether.
