YouTube is rolling out a new feature that is poised to become one of the biggest additions to the platform in its lifetime. The video hosting giant is getting a new AI-powered upscaling tool that will be able to upscale any video on the site, including older ones that were originally uploaded at a very low resolution.
How will it work?
If you’ve been keeping up with modern AI advancements, you’re probably aware of the fact that AI can be used to improve the quality of an image. Models designed specifically for this purpose can improve detail in low-resolution images using pattern recognition algorithms trained on incredible amounts of data. YouTube will use the same principle, but for videos.
How YouTube videos will be affected
Super resolution is the new big thing on YouTube. | Image credit: YouTube
All videos on the platform can now be upscaled to look sharper and more detailed, a change that will be more visible on large TVs. The new improvement feature It’s called “Super Resolution” and creators will have the option to opt out. Users will be able to see if a video is running at an enhanced resolution and will have the option to view the video as it was originally uploaded.
The feature is currently rolling out for videos uploaded with a resolution lower than 1080p, although YouTube wants to support 4K in the near future, which will affect virtually all videos on the site. Even HD videos, which already look decent on large TVs, can soon be upscaled to look even better.
Amazing idea, but how is the execution?
To me, this sounds like a fantastic idea and is definitely one of the best AI use cases we’ve seen in years. Being able to watch old YouTube videos in HD will be a game-changer and will also further differentiate the platform from the competition.
However, the one thing I think we need to keep in mind is that the AI ”freaks out” while scaling. AI improvement is not yet perfect, a phenomenon that can be seen in iPhone photography.
Captured images, after being enhanced by AI, can sometimes add gibberish to the original photo. This is most evident when you take a photo of text from afar, as the AI often changes words and sentences into strange squiggles.
If Google can perfectly eliminate this problem, YouTube’s AI improvement will be, in my opinion, one of the best additions to the platform in its entire life.
