Ask, and you shall receive a brand new playlist!
Spotify introduces a new AI Playlist feature for Premium users in the UK and Australia. Using this, you can now make custom playlists by typing prompts into a chat box, just like you do with AI chat bots like GPT.
Spotify’s personalization technology and AI work together to give each user the perfect mix of music based on their tastes. It allows users to find songs that match what they’re looking for by simply telling the app about their mood or activity.
What Is Spotify’s AI Playlist Feature?
AI Playlist uses natural language processing to understand user prompts and make personalized playlists.
Users can enter different criteria like genres, moods, artists, or decades to help the AI choose the best tracks. They can also make prompts with places, animals, activities, movie characters, colors, and emojis.
However, Spotify suggests combining elements, like blending a genre with a mood, artist, or era.
For example, a prompt like “an indie folk playlist to give my brain a big warm hug” or “relaxing music to tide me over during allergy season” will make a playlist that fits the mood.
Behind the scenes, Spotify’s AI looks at the prompt and searches the platform’s huge music library to find songs that match the user’s request. It thinks about genre, tempo, mood, and popularity to make a playlist that sounds good and is fun to listen to.
The good thing is, as users listen to the playlists, the AI learns what they like and don’t like, so it can keep making better recommendations.
How to Create AI Playlists in Spotify
If you’re in one of the select markets that can test this feature, using Spotify’s AI Playlist is easy.
To do so:
- Open Spotify’s mobile app and tap Your Library at the bottom right corner of your screen.
- Tap the ‘+’ button and choose ‘AI Playlist.’ This will open the chat box where you can type your prompts.
- You can either choose a prompt suggested by Spotify or enter your own.For best results, be creative and specific. For example, you can use prompts like “sad music for painting dying flowers” or “horse riding sunset tracks.”
- Wait while Spotify curates tracks to match your desired vibe.
- Once the playlist is ready, you can then listen to the tracks, remove any songs they don’t like, and change the playlist by giving more feedback, like asking for “more pop” or “less upbeat” songs.
- When you are happy with the playlist, tap Create to save your new playlist in your Spotify library.
Limitations and Creative Boundaries
AI Playlist offers a new way to find and personalize music, but it has some limits.
For one, it has rules against content that could offend or break laws, like current events or trademarked names. This means you can’t use the feature for anything that might cause a stir or step on someone’s copyright toes.
Spotify has also put in measures to stop playlists from being made with “offensive prompts” to ensure a friendly environment. Instead, the company encourages users to “prompt responsibly.”
The feature is also still in beta, so it may have some rough edges and may not always work well. But Spotify assures that it’s taking all user feedback and is working on making the feature smoother.
What’s Next for Spotify AI
AI Playlist is not Spotify’s first AI-powered music feature.
Last year, the company also launched AI DJ, which makes personalized playlists with AI voice commentary about the tracks and artists using the voice of Xavier ‘X’ Jernigan, Spotify’s head of cultural partnerships.
Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, has also shared that the platform is investing in AI beyond just features for users. He has hinted at future uses like AI-made podcast summaries and AI-powered audio ads.
The company also has a research team looking into large language models, generative voice, and personalization.
In fact, Spotify is also trying to get a patent for an AI-powered “text-to-speech synthesis” system.
This system can take text and turn it into human-like speech with emotion and intention. It can make speech that sounds real and shows emotions like anger, happiness, or sadness. It can also whisper or shout, use accents, and show intentions like sarcasm.
The patent suggests Spotify wants to do more than just the DJ feature. It might use AI to narrate audiobooks, which shows even bigger plans for AI voice technology.