YouTube has a problem that’s both real and somewhat manufactured. Users say they want control over their algorithmic feeds, but when given the tools to exercise that control, they rarely do.

Enter YouTube’s latest experiment: “Your Custom Feed,” a conversational AI feature that lets you refine your homepage recommendations through simple prompts. It’s algorithm training via chat interface; a handbrake turn for your content diet without abandoning YouTube’s recommendation engine entirely.

The feature appears as a chip labeled “Your Custom Feed” on your homepage, sitting beside the standard “Home” option. Select it, enter a prompt about what you’d like to see, and YouTube’s AI weighs your input against its existing algorithmic understanding of your viewing habits. The key word is “weighs.” This isn’t a complete override, you’re not replacing YouTube’s recommendations with a manually curated feed. Instead, you’re introducing new variables into an equation that already includes your watch history, search patterns, and engagement metrics.

YouTube has attempted feed customization before, with varying degrees of success and user adoption. This latest version feels more sophisticated, aligning with similar experiments at X and Threads. Instead of vague upvoting/downvoting or bizarre color-based feeds, usesrs can articulate precise interests. The conversational interface lowers the friction between thought and action.

Ultimately, YouTube’s aim is to solve a problem that has long been plaguing platforms: how to give users meaningful control while keeping them engaged enough that they don’t actually need to exercise it? And the appeal is clear: talking feels more natural than navigating settings menus or clicking through binary preference options. If you can explain what you want in plain language, the system should understand and adapt.

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