AI-Powered Content Discovery
HBO Max Unveils AI-Powered Shorts and Ask HBO Max to Enhance User Content Discovery
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Key Points
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Shorts is accessed via a dedicated Shorts icon in HBO Max's bottom navigation, making it a distinct, easily navigable feature for discovery.
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The AI behind Shorts uses scene-level metadata to scan thousands of hours of content and surface high-impact scenes, which editors then select to render as vertical clips.
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Shorts clips are not original vertical videos yet; they are trimmed segments from existing HBO Max programming rendered in a vertical format, with editors choosing the final cuts.
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The platform is piloting an experimental conversational search feature called Ask HBO Max, available to adult users and initially rolling out on Android devices, allowing natural-language queries to surface relevant content from across the catalog.
HBO Max is rolling out a vertical video feed called Shorts, making it the latest streaming service to borrow from TikTok's playbook, according to TechCrunch. The feature serves trailers, clips, and bonus content tailored to each user's watch history — and lets viewers start watching or save titles instantly.
HBO Max is also testing a conversational search tool called Ask HBO Max, which lets users type natural-language questions to find movies and shows, The Wrap reported. Both features are currently limited to select users in the U.S., with broader rollout planned.
How the Shorts Feed Actually Works
Shorts lives behind its own icon in HBO Max's bottom navigation bar, making it easy to find, according to The Wrap. Users scroll through a vertical feed of short clips pulled from HBO Max's existing library — not original videos made for the feature.
An in-house AI tool scans thousands of hours of content using scene-level data to find high-impact moments. Human editors then pick the final cuts and render them in vertical format. The clips can be shared, or users can jump straight into the full show or movie.
AI Editors Pick the Scenes, Humans Make the Final Call
The AI does the heavy lifting by sorting through massive amounts of content, but editors have the last word on what gets published as a Short. TechCrunch reported that HBO Max VP Deepna Devkar described the goal as "accelerating content discovery" across the full catalog.
The tool is designed to surface content users might otherwise never find. HBO Max says it wants to expand discoverability across its entire library — not just new or popular titles. Sports content is also on the roadmap for future Shorts integration, per Yahoo Tech.
Ask HBO Max Brings Conversational Search to Android First
Ask HBO Max is a separate experimental feature that lets adult users search the catalog using plain-language questions — think
The feature is rolling out first on Android devices, according to Coming Soon. Like Shorts, it is being tested with a limited group of U.S. users before any wider launch. HBO Max has not said when either feature will be available globally.
Streaming Services Race to Fix the Endless Scroll Problem
HBO Max is not alone in testing short-form discovery tools. Other major streamers have tried similar features to cut down on the time users spend searching and not watching. The average viewer often spends more time browsing than actually viewing content.
Warner Bros. Discovery is betting that AI-assisted editing and smarter search will keep users inside the app longer. Both Shorts and Ask HBO Max are early-stage pilots, TechCrunch noted, meaning the final versions could look very different from what select users are testing today.
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