YouTube Shorts is beta testing the addition of Google Lens. Integrating this tech into the short-form video platform will allow viewers to search for more information about what they can see in a clip. The functionality will begin rolling out to all Shorts users this week.
Once it’s enabled on your account, the feature can be accessed by pausing the video, selecting Lens from the top menu and then tapping or highlighting an element of the clip to search about. Visual matches and search results will be overlaid on top of the Short. More details are provided in Google’s support pages.
The post announcing the Lens beta notes that advertisements won’t be shown in the results during the test phase. Additionally, it states that “the Lens experience isn’t available for Shorts with YouTube Shopping affiliate links or with paid product promotions.” While the beta test isn’t going to be tied to commerce, this feels like an integration that could very likely become a Shopping-centric resource in the future.