Like most people, I wasn’t a big fan of AI when it first started appearing. We thought it would stifle creativity and make people dependent on tools for even the simplest tasks. And indeed, I wasn’t wrong about that at all. In fact, most people rely on ChatGPT for the simplest tasks. But over time, I realized that the more I resisted the AI, the sooner I would be left behind. Since then, I decided to try every AI tool I came across.
During my testing, I discovered many tools that are essential to my workflow. I can’t imagine working without them. The latest trend in the world of AI is AI browsers, and frankly, I’m a big fan. Most of the browsers I’ve tried still need a lot of work, but browsers like Perplexity’s Comet and Opera’s Neon have convinced me that AI can actually enhance the way we explore the web. One of my favorite ways to use the AI browser is to watch YouTube. In fact, I can’t imagine going back to a regular browser to consume video content.
AI browser can quickly summarize hours of video in minutes
Save time with instant video summaries
Now we know how ridiculous it seems to use AI to watch YouTube videos. After all, most people watch YouTube videos to relax after a tiring day, so using AI may feel like it’s overcomplicating something that’s supposed to be relaxing. But in reality, it’s completely different. When we say we’re using an AI browser to watch YouTube videos, we’re not talking about videos we watch for entertainment. Instead, I’m talking about hour-long interviews, endless playlist reviews, and unnecessarily long tutorials.
Given the sheer amount of content on YouTube, it’s not always easy to know what to watch and what not to watch. All AI browsers have a built-in AI assistant (usually accessible using a keyboard shortcut or by clicking a button in the bookmark bar).
Lately, I’ve been launching Assistant and simply asking it to summarize the video I’m about to watch. Within seconds, the AI browser accesses the transcript of a YouTube video and uses it to generate a concise summary of important points. This means you’ll be able to quickly figure out if the video is worth your time. You can also have the AI assistant suggest other similar videos, which can be helpful when you want to dig deeper into a topic without spending hours searching.
Let AI find exactly what you need in your video
No more scrubbing long videos
I was lucky enough to get a demo of Opera Neon’s features a few days ago when the final build of the browser was announced. And what people showed me immediately stood out. They demonstrated how when you tell the AI exactly what you want to see, it finds the exact part of the video and starts playing it.
Sometimes you come across an interesting video while scrolling through your TikTok or Instagram Reels, but it’s just a snippet of a much longer interview or TV show/movie. In situations like this, I usually type everything I can remember about a particular video into Google or YouTube and just hope that I actually find the complete video.
Sometimes I find a video almost immediately, other times I give up after scrolling through unrelated results for a few minutes. It can be frustrating and time consuming. With AI browsers, especially Opera, this pain disappears. Just describe what you’re looking for and we’ll find the perfect video for you. What’s even more interesting is to jump to the exact part of the video I described.
For example, let’s say you watch a 30-second clip of a Steve Jobs interview on Instagram and want to see the part where he talks about the first iPhone. Usually you have to search on YouTube and scroll through the full interview trying to find the exact moment. Using Opera Neon’s AI, you can simply ask your assistant to “Find the YouTube video of the Steve Jobs interview where he talks about the original iPhone,” and within seconds it will find the full video and start playing it right away. You should switch to neon do This is because it is specifically designed to execute such commands quickly and accurately.
Rather than every app relentlessly adding AI to every possible nook and cranny, this is a thoughtful and truly useful implementation that will really make a difference. It’s not just AI for AI’s sake. I’m here for that.
Ask targeted questions and get accurate answers
It’s like having NotebookLM in your browser.
If you’ve read my work before, you know that my favorite AI tool is Google’s NotebookLM. The reason I use this tool so often is because you can upload your own sources and ask questions about them without worrying about hallucinations. This is because NotebookLM is based on the provided sources, so the answers provided are directly based on the uploaded material.
One way to take advantage of this evidence-based approach is to upload a YouTube video and ask NotebookLM specific questions about that content. With AI Browser, the same functionality is available within your browser. The AI assistant available in your browser will refer you directly to the tab you are currently viewing.
This means that if you ask a question about a video, article, or any page you have open in your browser, the AI will give you an answer based on that exact content. For example, I was watching a nearly two-hour interview with one of my favorite singers, and he was talking about the death of a former bandmate. I asked Opera Neon’s AI assistant, “What does Louis say about Liam Payne’s death in this interview?”
And it answered:
In the interview, Louis spoke about Liam Payne’s death, saying he was “just in disbelief” and “shocked”. He says it rekindled the feeling of grieving the band and the loss of a friend. Louis also reflected on how Liam was often misunderstood and how much he was loved, stressing that he was “horribly misunderstood” and “innocent”. He said he found out about Liam’s death through Niall and the news.
Again, the AI assistant relies on the video transcript to do this. Thanks to this, you no longer have to scrub through long videos for hours to find the specific line or moment you want.
You can watch videos the traditional way
I please don’t Need to use AI features
One of the things I particularly like about the AI browsers I’ve tested so far is that the AI features aren’t forced on you. You can use it if you want, but if you don’t want to use it, just don’t use it. For example, the AI assistants built into these browsers are readily available when you need them. It doesn’t get in the way of your normal browsing, and you have full control over when (and if) you use it.
The same goes for watching YouTube videos. When you want to just sit back and enjoy a video without summaries or AI-generated insights, you can do just that. The browser will not be interrupted by suggestions or pop-ups and will function just like a regular browser.
I can’t imagine watching YouTube any other way
My stance on AI capabilities is simple. If it saves time and brings a real change to your workflow, I’m all for it. Watching YouTube videos using an AI browser is a perfect example. It’s convenient, efficient, and truly changes the way you consume content online.
