AI apps like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are gradually replacing YouTube as the go-to source for information due to their interactive and personalised nature, leading to a noticeable decline in YouTube views since last September. Picture: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Image: Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
It wasn’t long ago that YouTube would be the first stop for any kind of educational need a tech-savvy individual would use, but that seems to be rapidly changing as people are increasingly turning to AI apps like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
Imagine this as an example: you need to work out how to cook a new recipe, and in the past, you would punch in something like in a Google search: "how to cook chocolate muffins”.
The first result would be a YouTube video detailing step-by-step how to do this.
In fact, if you typed the same search into YouTube, you’d get a ton of results, and you would click on what seems like the best video.
Now, people would use the same prompt in their AI app of their choice and receive a simple step-by-step guide, which is different from a traditional recipe in that it remains interactive.
If you don’t have a certain ingredient, for example, you can ask the app to suggest what you can use instead.
That right there is the difference: AI apps are a much more personal experience as you can tailor the results to your specific needs. YouTube, by contrast, offers video results that generally cater to a wide audience, and if you need any additional information in some long video, you will have to search again and sit through something else to possibly find what you’re looking for.
The shift from ‘traditional media’ like YouTube hasn’t been overnight, but it has been gradual until September last year. It was then that YouTube creators, big and small, experienced a sudden drop in views across the board.
There have been many different theories as to why this is the case, but the most likely is this new shift to rely on AI apps instead of YouTube. This may be good for the average person, but if you’re a content creator on YouTube, this could well be the beginning of the end.