Overview

• YouTube began beta of Google Lens in Shorts this week, enabling viewers to search for items they spot in short-form videos
• Viewers can pause a Short, tap the Lens icon, and draw, highlight or tap subjects to receive overlaid visual matches and search results
• During the beta, Lens search results will be ad-free but the feature is unavailable for Shorts that contain shopping affiliate links or paid product promotions
• Google Lens in Shorts may offer information on notable public figures but does not employ biometric facial recognition to identify individuals
• The search tool builds on YouTube’s recent Shorts upgrades as it seeks to bolster visual discovery against TikTok and Instagram Reels