AI move from Spotify

Spotify is working on a new feature that will allow its users to create playlists using AI technology and prompts.

'PLAYLIST' INITIATIVE

It has emerged that the company has begun testing this "AI playlists" feature to see how users will react to creating AI-powered playlists. The company did not share much information about the technology behind this test or how it works, and did not provide any timeline for the launch of this feature.

However, this feature was shown in a TikTok video discovered by a user and shared by user @robdad_. @robdad_ wrote, "I randomly discovered Spotify's ChatGPT?" According to the screenshots shared, the AI playlists feature is accessed from the "Your Library" tab in the Spotify app by tapping the plus (+) button in the top right corner of the screen. Here, a drop-down menu appears, and the AI playlist feature appears as a new option below the existing "Playlist" and "Blend" options.

WHAT WILL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OFFER?

The description of the feature reads, "Turn your ideas into playlists using AI," and it is currently only available in English. After selecting the option, the user is met with a screen where they can type their own requests into an AI chatbot-style box or browse a list of suggested prompts to get started. In the video, prompt ideas such as "focus at work with instrumental electronic music," "fill the silence with background cafe music," "get energized with fun, upbeat, and positive songs," and "explore a niche genre like Witch House" are shown as examples.

When the user selects an option like "Witch House," the AI chatbot responds with "Processing your request..." and then presents a sample playlist. On this screen, you can swipe left to remove songs you don't want to further refine the playlist.

WILL OFFER VOICE AI SUPPORT

Spotify had previously denied features regarding AI playlists and stated that it would not comment on new features. The company is currently trying to generate music based on users' requests and moods with AI playlists and says that this feature is currently just a test.

A few years ago, Spotify made major investments in AI within the app by launching the AI DJ, which was introduced at the beginning of the year and launched by Xavier Jernigan, Spotify's head of cultural partnerships. This feature was rolled out everywhere in August.

Speaking about the AI DJ, Spotify's Head of Personalization Ziad Sultan stated that the company has "a large research team that understands all the possibilities such as large language models, generative audio, and personalization." He expressed that Spotify "wants to be known for its AI expertise."

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also gave clues about how else the company uses AI. He said that Spotify might consider using AI to summarize podcasts and automatically create audio ads. He also stated that artists could use AI tools when creating new songs. Spotify has also used AI to create podcast ads voiced like a real person and has used AI to support its personalization technologies. Therefore, it is not a surprising step for the app to deploy AI for playlist creation, which is one of its more popular use cases. It is not yet clear when and in what form the new AI feature will be released.