In this particular case, it's spending 40 minutes of my life on something that could be explained in 4 sentences.
I also found a Python library for fetching YouTube video transcripts, but some issue mentioned that they got banned, so out of caution, I implemented my summary script as a JavaScript bookmarklet instead. It will probably break on the next YouTube update, so I am not sure how useful it is. Also, you have to set your own API key (and maybe URL). I used Groq (not to be confused with Grok), because it is free and very fast.
javascript:(function(){
var GROQ_API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE";
var btn = [...document.querySelectorAll('button')].find(b => b.textContent.trim() === 'Show transcript');
btn.click();
function checkTranscriptAvailable(){
var transcript = document.querySelector('[target-id="engagement-panel-searchable-transcript"]').innerText;
console.log("transcript:", transcript.slice(0, 50));
var length = transcript.replace(/\s/g, '').length;
if (length > 100){
fetch("https://api.groq.com/openai/v1/chat/completions", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Authorization": "Bearer " + GROQ_API_KEY,
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"model": "openai/gpt-oss-120b",
"messages": [
{
"role": "user",
"content": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "Briefly summarize this transcript:\n\n" + transcript,
},
]
}
]
})
})
.then(res => res.json())
.then(data => alert(data.choices[0].message.content))
.catch(err => alert(err));
}else{
setTimeout(checkTranscriptAvailable, 1000);
}
};
checkTranscriptAvailable();
})();there are a lot of YT vids that can be summed up essentially in 2 sentences and I don't need to see 4 ads first.
YT's actual AI summary is useless, arguably net negative
https://gist.github.com/abdusco/118a6a3ab41a0a1d2a5f8813f789...
> youtube_transcript.py 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAX2_mPr9W8' | llm 'give me keypoints, ignore promotions'
Certainly! Here are the key points from the detailed discussion about dishwasher detergents, washing cycles, and hot water use:
1. **Dishwasher Detergent Basics:**
- Most dishwashers have a detergent dispenser designed to release detergent in two doses: a smaller pre-wash dose and a larger main wash dose.
- The pre-wash helps remove easily dissolvable food residues before the main wash.
- Oils and fats do not dissolve well in plain water; putting some detergent in the pre-wash water helps emulsify and remove these soils early.
2. **Why Use Loose Powder Detergents:**
- Loose powders allow flexible dosing: users can adjust detergent amounts based on load dirtiness.
- Pre-dosed pods force a single, fixed dose which can be excessive or insufficient depending on the wash.
- The dispenser’s design supports splitting detergent dosing; powders are better aligned with this system than pods.
... you get the pointI'm not at my computer RN but I'll share it later.
"This video explores dishwasher detergent, focusing on a new powder formulation. The creator details the science behind effective dishwashing, including pre-wash cycles and water temperature. Independent testing results comparing the new powder to leading pods are revealed."
i don't have 40 minutes to watch a long-form video essay about detergent.
give me the gist, which based on context is that powder works better and is cheaper
The gist you took away is not quite right because of course you didn’t watch it.
Why does everything have to be summarized? If you want to see the content watch the content. Technology Connections videos are interesting, entertaining (to nerds at least) and a lot of effort goes into them.
Watch them at 1.5 speed if you’d like.
Or don’t watch them at all.
But the “give me a transcript because I want to watch but don’t want to watch” thing is so annoying.
YouTube also provides a transcript on the desktop version of the site, by the way. So this entire thread is pointless.
I don't care that Technology Connections is the perfect blend of campy midwestern technical pedantry, substantive detail, great editing, understated humor. It must undergo machine digestion, its humanity stripped, before being fed to me as a flat slurry. This way, I can optimize my consumption of slurry without ever encountering any of that pesky 'human spirit.'
Because that is optimal.
Someone that just wants to wash dishes better shouldn't be forced to watch a 40 minute video to learn how. It doesn't mean they want slurry.
Or to put it another way: Imagine you had to watch a video essay to check the weather forecast. It would suck, even if they're good essays. Even moreso if you already have other essays you want to watch.
He dies and then Rosebud.
The moment some long form content comes out we are all TikTok kids who want a five second summary.
Never mind the fact that YouTube provides a compete transcription that you can copy/paste and dump into an LLM, making this entire thread, as I mentioned before, pointless.
The people asking for a summary are lazy people who want to be spoon fed trivia dopamine hits.
Also I should add Gemini (the app) is able to access YT transcripts most of the time, so sometimes I'd just paste the link and ask for a tldr. One of the few reasons to go for Gemini app, not google ai studio.
That said, Technology Connections is worth watching just because videos are very pleasant, it's probably my favorite YT subscription right now.
On the page it shows an extra TLDR button near the like button.
You can change the prompt to modify how the summary looks and has an optional mode with links to specific timestamps.