Microsoft Edge Copilot can't summarize every YouTube video: Here's why
What's the story
Microsoft's AI-powered Copilot in the Edge browser recently introduced the ability to generate text summaries of YouTube videos, even in the absence of timestamps. However, this time-saving feature has some constraints. It is currently only effective for pre-processed videos or those equipped with subtitles. If these conditions aren't met, the feature won't work, as clarified by Mikhail Parakhin, Microsoft's CEO of Advertising and Web Services. Parakhin openly shares information about the different phases of Copilot's development on social media.
Details
How Edge Copilot works for videos
Parakhin clarified that for Edge Copilot to function, the video must be pre-processed or have subtitles. Essentially, the AI summarizes text transcripts of videos rather than the videos themselves. The AI Copilot can also summarize Microsoft Teams video meetings, calls for customer service agents within Microsoft 365, or Microsoft Stream videos. In all cases, the audio must be transcribed first. Parakhin also mentions Copilot should work for most publicly available videos, like those on YouTube.
Scenario
Generative AI race between Microsoft and Google
Edge Copilot is part of the ongoing generative AI competition between Microsoft and Google. Last month, Google updated the YouTube extension for its Bard chatbot, allowing it to summarize video content and extract specific information. Recently, Google announced a significant Gemini update with its own issues, such as misrepresenting some of the AI's capabilities in a demo and not always providing accurate facts.
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Users may encounter limitations in using Copilot's video analysis feature
Although Copilot's capacity to analyze and summarize YouTube videos is noteworthy and useful, the existing criteria implies potential obstacles to its immediate widespread applicability. Users might face hurdles in utilizing Copilot's video analysis features for videos without subtitles or those not pre-processed. The extent of the required video pre-processing process remains uncertain, and Microsoft has not confirmed whether Copilot will eventually support videos without subtitles.