The latest batch of Google Gemini 2.0 updates includes a rather cool new feature that means Gemini 2.0 Flash can now watch YouTube videos and extract information from them for you. So, rather than having to watch a whole video just to get that one vital piece of information you're after, you can get Gemini to watch the whole thing in microseconds and then answer questions on it.
Saving time on research is the most obvious use of this feature that comes to mind, but I can think of quite a few times recently when I’ve got frustrated watching a YouTube video because I just wanted some basic information from it, and I felt like they were dragging it out. Now I can extract that information in seconds.
For example, there are a lot of baking videos that show you how to make something, like a cake or pastry, but because they want you to watch the whole video right to the end they often don’t provide a simple list of instructions along with the ingredients. Now Gemini 2.0 can watch the video for you, and send you a breakdown of the instructions in seconds.
Get Gemini to do the heavy lifting
To get Gemini to watch videos for you you need to go to either the web-based Gemini, or the Gemini app on your phone. Log in with your account details as normal. (The ability to use Gemini with apps like YouTube is available whether you have a Gemini Advanced account or just a standard free account).
Make sure you check this one thing: In the Gemini menu at the top-left of the web browser (or at the top of the app) you need to make sure that you select the “2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps” option for this to work.
Now you can ask Gemini to watch a video and answer questions on it. For example, this video shows you how to make the pistachio cake of your dreams. There’s an ingredients list in the YouTube description – that’s great – but I can’t be bothered to watch the whole video when all I want is a list of instructions. Just ask Gemini: “Can you watch this video and give me a list of ingredients and instructions? https://youtu.be/1Br_hPQrU5I?si=dUF_nTOEkusYDgnm” and the work is done for you.
Top tip: I obtained the URL for the video from the YouTube Share option, using 'Copy link' – I found that cutting and pasting the video address from the browser URL bar didn't work with Gemini, it kept saying that the video URL was wrong; however the 'share' version of the URL worked fine.
The ability to use Gemini 2.0 Flash with apps also extends to Google search and Google Maps, but I think it's the ability to use it with YouTube videos that will be a real game changer. Let me know how you get on with using it in the comments section.
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