YouTube Shorts starts a 'dislike' test to help make sense of the confusing process

What you need to know

• YouTube Shorts starts a test for users, involving its dislike and "not interested" options.
• The post states that its thumbs down button will merge these two options into one; however, users who see this test will see one option or the other listed in the three-dot menu.
• As YouTube Shorts looks to help users refine their scrolling, its recently started tests for its Music app, adding "AI music hosts."

YouTube is starting a new experiment that requires users to watch its short-form content and express what they're not interested in.

YouTube's "features and experiments" changelog thread detailed a test kicking off this week for Shorts that concerns its dislike button (via Android Authority). The purpose of this test, according to the platform, is to help address the confusion between Shorts' dislike and "not interested" buttons for content. YouTube states user feedback shows that most use these buttons "interchangeably," but some "aren’t sure what the differences are."

The thumbs down button is already hidden behind the three-dot menu on Shorts, which is where YouTube is running the test.

Starting this week, YouTube states its test will involve merging the "not interested" and "dislike" options for content into one—the thumbs down. While they're incorporated, the changelog states some testers will see it marked as one option or the other. YouTube adds, "All viewers in the experiment who click 'thumbs down' on a Short will receive an optional feedback survey."

YouTube Shorts aims to bring clarity as it assists users in refining their content loop, so they're not met with videos they'd rather not see.

If you don't like it, let them know

There's no hiding that YouTube Shorts has become an incredibly popular addition for the platform, as it sought to step into short-form content to combat TikTok. Tests like this latest one are a necessity, as wide-ranging as video content is.

Aside from this Shorts test, YouTube Labs kicked off a test this fall that reminded users how seriously it's taking AI. This test brought in YouTube Music users to experiment with "AI music hosts." These "hosts" provided commentary, facts on the music you're listening to, and trivia. According to YouTube, these AI hosts can "deepen your listening experience" with stories about the music and the overall more "personalized" vibe that it creates, tailored to your tastes.

YouTube's since brought in AI for Shorts, giving short-form creators access to "Photo to video" tools. Creators could turn still shots into short animations for whatever their project is. YouTube Shorts leveraged Veo 2's generation software to get this done. However, the platform said users could expect Veo 3 to enter the fold to really up the ante on what its AI generator could do.