YouTube is rolling out a beta feature within Shorts that empowers users to explore the world around them through visual search. By integrating Google Lens, viewers can now easily identify objects featured in Shorts. Simply pause a video, tap the Lens icon, and circle, highlight, or tap on the desired item. This action triggers a Google Lens search, providing information and related content about the selected object.
Imagine watching a Short featuring an interesting piece of clothing or a historical monument. With Google Lens integration, users can instantly learn more about these elements without leaving the YouTube app. Google has been actively developing Lens, recently expanding its functionality to include video-based searches, making this integration a natural fit.
YouTube emphasizes that the feature will not utilize biometric facial recognition, though results may include information about public figures. To maintain an unbiased user experience during the pilot program, ads and shopping affiliate links will be excluded from the Lens search results.