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YouTube is borrowing a page from X (Twitter)<\/a> and adding<\/a> a community notes feature ahead of the 2024 US election. The company wants the short viewer-created blurbs to add relevant context to videos, such as pointing out misinformation or old footage passed off as new.<\/p>\n Notes will roll out initially as a pilot program for \u201ca limited number of eligible contributors,\u201d who will receive an invitation via email or Creator Studio. The invited participants will need to have an active YouTube account in good standing.<\/p>\n During the pilot phase, \u201cthird-party evaluators\u201d will rate notes\u2019 helpfulness to help train the system. YouTube says it wants to launch notes gradually to test and fine-tune the feature before making it more widely available. Look no further than YouTube\u2019s often toxic video comments<\/a> to see why that\u2019s necessary.<\/p>\n Once the feature is calibrated and widely available, you\u2019ll see them under videos \u201cif they\u2019re found to be broadly helpful.\u201d Viewers will be asked to rate notes as \u201chelpful,\u201d \u201csomewhat helpful\u201d or \u201cunhelpful\u201d \u2014 and tell them why (for example, it cites good sources or is written clearly).<\/p>\n Note ratings will be determined by a bridging-based algorithm, which looks for connections among disparate groups. For example, if people who have historically rated things differently agree on a particular note\u2019s helpfulness, that one will more likely appear. It sounds like the system could still be abused, especially considering how many online tribes today share an unflinching belief in the same debunked misinformation. But hey, we\u2019ll reserve judgment until we see it in action.<\/p>\n The feature is awfully similar to one that was rolled out initially under the Jack Dorsey era of Twitter and expanded globally<\/a> after Elon Musk bought the company in 2022. At the time, Musk described the feature as \u201ca gamechanger for improving accuracy on Twitter.\u201d X, as it\u2019s known today, isn\u2019t exactly known for its accuracy<\/a>, but YouTube apparently saw something worth copying in the crowd-sourced context.<\/p>\n As for when you will see community notes, YouTube says the pilot will launch on mobile in the US first. The company anticipates mistakes during this test phase as it tweaks its algorithms. Everyone else in the US can expect to see notes appear \u201cin the coming weeks and months.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n