YouTube has announced that it will use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to automatically upscale videos below 1080p.
Thanks to the new feature, videos between 240p and 720p will be intelligently scaled to provide clearer and more detailed image quality on the platform. In the future, YouTube plans to introduce an upscale function up to 4K quality via AI.
YouTube spokesperson Veronica Navarrete told The Verge that this feature will only apply to videos with low original quality and will not affect content uploaded in Full HD format.
The platform will also offer users and creators the option to opt out of automatic upscaling. The company emphasized that the original files will not be modified, but will only allow them to choose between the original and improved versions during viewing.
This approach is aimed at preventing creators from being dissatisfied with “the quality changes that YouTube automatically applies.”
Similar AI-based upscaling technologies are already available on many TVs and media devices, including the Nvidia Shield TV. However, YouTube is different in that the user can disable this feature if they wish.
