On Wednesday, at the YouTube Brandcast event in New York, the company unveiled its latest feature called Peak Points, powered by Google’s Gemini AI.
This tool aims to place ads right after the most engaging moments in a video, hoping to grab your attention when you’re most hooked.
What is Peak Points?
This new system uses Gemini AI to scan videos, looking at frames and transcripts to spot high-engagement moments-like a big reveal or an emotional scene.
Instead of random ad breaks, Peak Points slots ads just after these key parts, aiming to boost visibility and clicks for advertisers. Think of watching a proposal video, and right after the “yes,” an ad pops up. YouTube believes this timing could make ads more memorable.
Will Ads Feel Less Annoying?
The idea behind Peak Points is to align ads with your emotions, a tactic called emotion-based targeting.
When you’re emotionally invested, you might recall ads better, making them less of a mindless interruption. Plus, by placing ads after peak moments, they won’t cut into the action, which could reduce frustration compared to mid-climax breaks.
YouTube is also testing a shoppable product feed during ads, letting you browse and buy items, which might feel more useful than standard ads.
A Catch for Viewers?
However, not everyone might love it. Some worry that ads after emotional highs could break immersion and annoy viewers who just want to keep watching.
There’s no word yet on whether these ads will be skippable or replace the usual ones at the start of videos. For now, Peak Points is in a pilot phase and will roll out slowly through 2025, so we’ll have to wait and see the real impact.
This move shows YouTube’s push to use AI for smarter advertising. Its ad revenue hit nearly €8 billion in Q1 2025, up 10% from last year. While it aims to balance advertiser gains with viewer experience, will Peak Points make ads less annoying or just differently timed? Only time will tell.