Spotify has a hit with its AI DJ feature. Now, it’s adding AI to make playlists. On Monday, Spotify started testing AI playlists. Users can create playlists with written instructions.
At first, this feature will be released for Android and iOS users in the U.K. and Australia. Over the next few months, it will be improved.
Spotify’s AI lets users ask for many unique playlists, beyond just genre or era. For example, users could request playlists for “music to sing to my cat” or “tunes for fighting zombies,” as Spotify says.
You can use different ideas in your requests, such as locations, animals, actions, film characters, colors, or emojis. Spotify mentions that the most interesting playlists come from prompts that mix music styles, feelings, musicians, and time periods.
Spotify uses what it knows about what users like to personalize the playlists created with this tool.
Once a playlist is made, users can ask the AI to make changes, such as making it “less cheerful” or adding “more pop” music.
If users don’t like a song, they can swipe left to take it out of the playlist.
Spotify mentions it relies on big language models (LLMs) to grasp what the user wants. Next, by applying its customization tools — details about what the listener likes and has listened to before — Spotify responds to the request by crafting a tailor-made playlist generated by AI for the user.
How to find this Feature?
To find this feature, go to the “Your Library” section in the Spotify app and click the plus icon (+) on the top right. A menu pops up with “AI Playlist” as a new choice, along with “Playlist” and “Blend.”
If users are unsure what to ask for, Spotify provides example prompts to help them begin, such as “instrumental electronica for work focus,” “café music for background noise,” “cheerful and energetic songs to boost your mood,” or “dive into a unique genre like Witch House,” among others.
Creating AI Playlist
To keep an AI playlist, press the “Create” button to put it in your library.
Spotify also says the AI has limits. It won’t react to rude requests or those about recent news or certain brands.
Spotify has been putting money into AI to make its music service better for a while. With the AI DJ feature going worldwide last year, Spotify combined tech from Sonantic and OpenAI.
This tech mimicked the voice of Spotify’s cultural partnerships leader, Xavier “X” Jernigan, to introduce songs tailored for the user. Last year, Spotify mentioned it was doing its own research to keep up with the newest AI and big language models.
Daniel Ek, the CEO, has hinted to those who invest in Spotify about different ways the company might use AI.
This includes making summaries of podcasts, generating audio ads with AI, and more. The company is also exploring AI that could copy the voice of a podcast host for ads that sound like the host is reading them.
Before AI playlists, Spotify introduced Niche Mixes. This feature let users make their own playlists with prompts. However, it didn’t use AI and had less ability to understand different languages.
What we think?
I think Spotify’s new AI playlists will be fun and creative. People can ask for any kind of music mix, like songs for dancing with pets or cheering up. It’s cool how the AI learns what you like and makes playlists just for you.
You can even change the playlist by asking for happier songs or more pop. This feature seems like a big step for personalizing music and making listening more enjoyable.