Google and YouTube Expand AI Features Across Platforms

YouTube Music Experiments With AI Hosts

YouTube is testing AI-powered hosts inside its Music app through the new YouTube Labs program. These AI hosts offer stories, trivia, and fun commentary to enhance listening experiences, similar to Spotify’s AI DJ. Currently, the feature is available only to U.S.-based Premium members for a limited time, marking YouTube’s latest move to integrate AI-driven engagement into music streaming.

New Controls for YouTube Viewers

In response to user feedback, YouTube is adding a Hide button to remove end-screen popups and video suggestions. While the setting applies to each video individually, it allows viewers to stay focused on the content. The platform is also removing the hover-to-subscribe option on watermarks, a change YouTube says will have minimal impact on subscriptions or views.

Google & PayPal Partner on Agentic Commerce

Google and PayPal have formed a multi-year partnership to develop AI-powered shopping experiences. Using Google’s AI technology and PayPal’s global payment infrastructure, the companies plan to build “agentic” shopping tools and promote the new Agent Payments Protocol, which enables purchases initiated by AI agents. PayPal will also become a key payment provider across Google Cloud, Google Ads, and Google Play.

Gemini AI Expands in Chrome

Google is rolling out Gemini in Chrome to all U.S. desktop users, allowing them to summarize complex web pages, compare content across multiple tabs, and revisit previously viewed sites. Upcoming “agentic” features will let Gemini handle tasks such as scheduling meetings, booking services, or organizing shopping carts. Chrome will also gain AI-powered search in the address bar, scam detection, and one-click password resets to enhance security and productivity.

Google Launches Mixboard for AI Mood Boards

Google’s latest AI project, Mixboard, enables users to create AI-generated mood boards using text prompts. Available as a public beta in the U.S. through Google Labs, Mixboard leverages Google’s Nano Banana image-editing model to generate, edit, and combine images for projects like home décor, event planning, and creative brainstorming. The tool competes directly with Pinterest’s collage feature and taps into the growing popularity of digital mood boards among younger users.