The feature was introduced at Brandcast, an event celebrating YouTube’s 20th birthday in New York, along with several other announcements about changes to the platform.
YouTube has announced a new AI-powered feature called “Peak Points”, which identifies the most engaging parts of a video for ad placement. Advertisers will benefit from Gemini’s intelligence to promote their products more effectively on the platform. Experts believe the initiative could potentially frustrate viewers.
“We also announced Peak Points, built with Google AI. This all-new product uses Gemini to identify the most meaningful or ‘peak’ moments within YouTube’s popular content, placing your brand where audiences are the most engaged,” states the event summary. According to CNBC, the new AI feature analyzes transcripts, frames, and other elements in a video to identify critical moments and periods of high viewer attention for ad placement. Developers expect Peak Point to deliver more clicks and conversions for advertisers’ promotional videos. A few users and experts have already shared thoughts on the feature. “Viewers may find these interruptions frustrating, especially when they’re deeply engaged in the emotional arc of a video and want the ad to be over quickly to resume watching,” wrote TechCrunch.
— Marius Fanu (@mariusfanu) May 15, 2025 Users on Reddit said they have already noticed this feature, and many find it annoying. “YouTube has been doing this already for months if not years,” wrote one Redditor. “It’s already on the brink of being unwatchable,” added another. YouTube also introduced another advertising feature called Shoppable CTV, which allows users to browse and buy products in a video from the TV. AI has been playing an important role in the video platform. A few months ago, YouTube invited content creators to opt into their AI training program.
