Instead of sitting through the boring parts of a video, just “jump ahead.” That’s the idea behind YouTube Premium’s latest experimental feature, which uses AI to help you leap past the most commonly skipped sections of videos.
Two years ago, YouTube began highlighting the “Most Replayed” sections of videos on its platform. But the Most Replayed feature only shows you the best parts of a video—it doesn’t help you skip past boring content, such as sponsored segments or unfunny personal anecdotes.
The experimental “Jump Ahead” feature addresses these annoyances. After double-tapping a video to skip ahead by a few seconds, YouTube will ask if you want to “Jump Ahead.” Doing so will take you to the “next best part” of the video, as determined by AI and the habits of other users. If a bunch of users skip past a video’s sponsored segment, Jump Ahead should encourage you to do the same. Presumably, this will work best with videos that have a ton of views.
Jump Ahead appeared as an early preview two months ago. It’s now available to all YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S., though the feature only works on Android and requires an opt-in. A YouTube Premium subscription currently costs $14 a month after a two-month free trial. Eligible users can test Jump Ahead after visiting youtube.com/new and opting in for experimental features. Alternatively, enter your YouTube account settings on Android and select “Try experimental new features.”
Several other experimental features, including an AI chatbot that answers questions about videos, are also available for testing. Users who test YouTube’s experimental features may be asked to fill out a survey in exchange for a mystery gift card (unspecified card, unspecified value). Note that some browser extensions, such as SponsorBlock, provide functionality similar to Jump Ahead but do not require a YouTube Premium subscription.
The testing period for YouTube’s Jump Ahead tool ends June 1st. If users enjoy the feature, it may become a staple of YouTube Premium. Of course, there’s a non-zero chance that the feature is abandoned or scrutinized through an additional testing period.
Source: YouTube via Android Authority