How AI Can Summarize a YouTube Video for You

We all may have a friend — or are that friend — whose belabored stories could use a summary to help capture their main parts before people get impatient and dream of skipping through.

In the digital world, that’s the sort of thing Eightify is designed for. It’s an artificial intelligence tool made as a Google Chrome desktop extension and an app for the iPhone and Android. Eightify summarizes YouTube videos to save viewers time — specifically when folks are navigating longer videos or lengthy forms of educational content. 

Launched in 2022 by Dmytro Tymoshenko, Eightify can pull digestible key points and highlights out of video content. After a seven-day free trial, it costs $5/month (or $60 for the year). Its competitors include TLDR YouTube and VidSummize, which offer similar AI-powered functions for free, though with limitations and restrictions of their own.  

How to use Eightify to break down videos

Step 1: You need an account to access Eightify’s seven-day trial. (No credit card required, for once.) Then, paste a YouTube link into the chat box so Eightify’s AI tool can summarize the video. Eightify provides a how-to guide for users unsure about the process. 

Step 2: Wait a few seconds as the video insights and summary are generated. The insights button lets you view a rundown of the video in different tones and formats. With the focus buttons you can alter the text and choose from options that include Insightful, Funny, Actionable and Controversial. There’s also an option to change the format from a list to a Q&A, and to select a length: short, more detailed or auto.

Step 3: The summary button provides a roundup of the video followed by a more detailed breakdown keyed to timestamps. The insight and summary features both use emojis to help organize and categorize material.  

Step 4: Lastly, three other buttons let you alter settings, copy text, or download (or share) the information provided.

Both the mobile and desktop versions of Eightify offer a manageable user experience, and as an AI tool, it’s one of the easiest to navigate — thankfully, there’s no steep learning curve. Though there are various modifications within the tool’s sections, there aren’t extra frills or pop-ups that take away from its functionality. 

Should you use Eightify to summarize your videos?

I can’t say that I’d stick with Eightify for $60/year when free options, like the YouTube Summarizer by Glasp, will produce similar results, but Eightify’s ability to customize information for large quantities of content may be a selling point. Personally, I’d like to see Eightify partner with businesses and educational institutions as part of an employee or student perk. This could address the cost while focusing on large groups of customers. 

Outside of professional and educational settings — like the highly acclaimed Chicken Shop Date YouTube video I used to test it — the insights and summary buttons within Eightify may provide better takeaways than what you’d find on social media. (Plus, I’ve never seen X provide actionable insights that can double as self-development homework.)

So, maybe there’s room for Eightify in your chain of desktop extensions, or folders of applications. The answer comes down to personal needs, frequency and reason for use — and whether another subscription you may forget you’re paying for is worth it.