HBO Max Tests Shorts and AI Search

HBO Max is testing a personalised short-video feed and conversational search to help viewers navigate its catalogue.

What happened

The vertical feed uses AI to analyse scene-level metadata and identify potential clips, while human editors decide which clips enter the discovery experience.

Conversational search allows viewers to describe what they want in natural language rather than relying only on titles, genres or actor names.

Why it matters

Streaming services have enormous libraries but often weak discovery. Traditional menus ask viewers to browse rows of thumbnails, while social platforms learn from rapid interactions and continuously adapt what they show.

Short clips can make a large catalogue easier to sample. Natural-language search can also capture requests such as a mood, setting or type of story that does not map neatly to existing metadata.

The bigger picture

Entertainment platforms are becoming searchable databases of scenes, themes and characters—not just collections of programmes.

The hybrid workflow is notable: AI expands what can be indexed, while editors retain control over what reaches viewers. That balance may become important as platforms use automation without losing context, brand judgement or rights oversight.