Spotify is now incorporating AI into playlist construction, building on the success of its well-liked AI DJ tool. The business made AI playlists, a new feature that lets users create playlists based on written prompts, available in test on Monday.
Users in the United Kingdom and Australia will be able to access the function on their Android and iOS devices at first, and it will be improved in the coming months.
Spotify advises using artificial intelligence (AI) to enable users request a broader range of personalized playlists, such as “songs to serenade my cat” or “beats to battle a zombie apocalypse,” in addition to the more common playlist creation requests, such as those based on genre or time period. Prompts can allude to a wide range of topics, including locations, animals, hobbies, fictional characters from films, hues, and emoticons. The best playlists, according to the business, are made with suggestions that combine different genres, emotions, performers, and decades.
In order to tailor the playlists it creates with this function, Spotify also makes use of its knowledge of user preferences.
Users can utilize the AI to edit and improve the playlist after it has been created by giving it commands like “less upbeat” or “more pop,” for example. In addition, users can swipe left on any song to take it out of the playlist.
Large language models (LLMs) are the technological tool that Spotify claims it uses to interpret user intent. Then, Spotify responds to the request and generates an AI-generated playlist just for the user using its personalization engine, which makes use of the data it knows about the listener’s past and preferences.
The business leverages a variety of outside resources for its machine learning and AI projects.
At the time, Spotify said it would not comment on the discovery or provide an update on potential new features. But in December 2023, following the appearance of a TikTok video showcasing what a Spotify user referred to as “Spotify’s ChatGPT,” the business said that it was experimenting AI-driven playlist generation.
To access the function, navigate to the “Your Library” tab in the Spotify app by touching the plus symbol (+) located at the upper right corner of the screen. The AI Playlist is displayed as a new option in a pop-up menu that also includes the “Playlist” and “Blend” options.
Spotify provides prompt suggestions to help users get started if they are having trouble coming up with ideas. Some of the prompts include “explore a niche genre like Witch House,” “get pumped up with fun, upbeat, and positive songs,” “fill in the silence with background café music,” and “get focused at work with instrumental electronica,” among many others.
Tap the “Create” button to add an AI playlist to the library and save it.
The business points out that the AI is protected by boundaries, meaning it won’t react to provocative questions or ones that are tied to current affairs or particular companies.
For several months now, Spotify has been making investments in AI technologies to enhance its streaming offering. The business employed a combination of Sonantic and OpenAI technology to build an artificial version of Spotify’s head of cultural partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan, who introduces tailored song recommendations to the user, with the debut of AI DJ, which expanded globally last year. Spotify announced last year that it would be funding internal research to gain a deeper understanding of massive language models and the most recent advancements in AI.
Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, has hinted to investors about additional ways the technology could be used, such as podcast summaries, AI-generated audio advertisements, and more. For host-read advertisements, the business has also considered employing AI technology that mimics the voice of a podcast host.
Spotify introduced Niche Mixes, a tool that let users make personalized playlists with prompts, prior to AI playlists. However, Niche Mixes did not use AI technology and had a more constrained language understanding system.
