YouTube's First Recap Is So Bad It Might Be AI's Midlife Crisis
KEY POINTS
- ā¢YouTube launched 'Recap' on Tuesday 2025, offering 12 AI-generated cards showcasing US usersā viewing habits with many inaccuracies.
- ā¢Spotify Wrapped returned with new features including a 'listening age,' fan leaderboards, and a detailed listening archive praised by Reddit users.
- ā¢Online reactions slammed YouTube's Recap as 'lame' and 'AI garbage,' while Spotify's updates sparked excitement despite some funny age miscalculations.
In December 2025, YouTube unveiled 'Recap,' its debut year-end highlight reel, tossing users up to 12 flashy cards tracking their bizarrely skewed viewing tastesālike 'sewing tutorials' that even hardcore non-watchers never clicked. The US got this quirky āAI garbageā preview as the rest of the world waited the global rollout. Meanwhile, Spotify Wrapped strutted back to the social buzz party with fresh features: 'listening age'āwhich labeled folks as toddlers or geriatric audiophiles, a fan leaderboard, six listening 'clubs,' and a year-long archive spotlighting looped obsessions (like a Reddit user playing KATSEYE's 'Touch' EXACTLY 70 times). Between Spotifyās polished stats and YouTubeās baffled ācurious mindā personality type, one thing's clearāYouTubeās Recap feels like year one of an awkward office holiday video, while Spotifyās Wrapped is the prom king everyone actually remembers.
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YouTubeās new Recap is like that kid who shows up to prom wearing a mismatched sock and declares themselves 'tech savvy.' Meanwhile, Spotify is busy handing out trophies, logos, and fan clubs. Weāre all terrible drivers of our own viewing lives.
Spotifyās listening age called me 20 when I peaked in high school. YouTubeās top interest said 'sewing tutorials'āIām not even crafty. Algorithms are acting like they want a raise or a nap.
Spotify's clubs come with logos; YouTubeās personality quiz just called me ācurious mind,ā which is code for 'please watch anything to pass the time.' Year-end recaps or self-esteem assessments? Hard to tell.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/4/2025 | Author: Lee Chong Ming
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