After Spotify and Amazon Music, AI prompts are set to invade YouTube Music. Who’s next?
YouTube Music is rolling out a new AI-driven feature that lets users create personalized radio stations using text prompts. First spotted by Reddit users, this experimental tool puts YouTube Music in direct competition with Spotify and Amazon Music, which already offer AI-generated playlists.
How YouTube Music’s AI Radio Feature Works
YouTube Music’s AI-Radio feature adds an “Ask for music any way you like” option on the YouTube Music app’s home screen. Tapping this opens a full-screen chat interface, labeled as an “Experiment” in the top right corner.
From there, you can choose from YouTube Music’s preset prompts, such as “Upbeat pop anthems” or “Epic soundtracks”.
Users can also type or say their music preferences to generate a custom radio station. Or, click “Surprise me!” if you’re not sure what you actually want.
After receiving a prompt, the AI then builds a radio station complete with a unique name and description.
The resulting playlist, tagged as “Created for you,” shows an initial set of songs matching the user’s request. You’ll also see the first three tracks and have options to play, pause, save to your library, or access more options.
For example, a user asked for “some queer hip hop hits”.
YouTube Music then created a ustom station called “Queer Hip Hop Beats” with a description: “Rhymes and flows from the heart, a celebration of queer pride in hip hop’s art.”
It included songs like Pynk (feat. Grimes) by Janelle Monáe, That’s What I Want by Lil Nas X, and Sissy That Walk by RuPaul.
However, not everyone who has tried the feature loved it so far.
For one, a user claimed that some songs it recommended did not match the prompt at all.
The feature is still in its experimental phase, though. So, it’s not available in most accounts, yet. And, YouTube is likely carefully monitoring user feedback before a wider release.
It’s not clear if this will be only for YouTube Premium subscribers or when it will officially launch.
Comparison With Spotify and Amazon Music
YouTube Music isn’t alone in exploring AI-generated playlists.
Spotify was the first to explore this feature, on April 2024, which is currently accessible to Premium users in the UK and Australia. This AI-playlist tool makes playlists of about 30 songs and lets users refine their picks with more prompts.
Amazon Music also launched its version of AI-generated playlist feature called ‘Maestro’ a few weeks after Spotify. It’s open to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers worldwide and works with Alexa for voice-controlled playlist creation.
While all three use AI to make playlists from user prompts, each has its own unique features.
For example, Amazon Music’s Maestro also accepts emojis to add the feeling the user wants in the prompts.
Spotify promises that they’re using their advanced algorithm to suggest songs that they know the users will personally like.
Lastly, YouTube Music’s connection to its video platform could also add live performances and music videos to playlists. This could offer a fuller media experience compared to audio-only services and more content variation.