Spotify has already tasted success with its popular AI DJ feature, and now it’s venturing into AI-driven playlist creation. The streaming music service recently introduced a beta option called AI playlists, allowing users to generate playlists based on written prompts.
Initially available on Android and iOS devices in the U.K. and Australia, the feature will evolve over time.
In addition to conventional playlist creation requests based on genre or time frame, Spotify’s AI enables users to request a broader range of custom playlists, such as “songs to serenade my cat” or “beats to battle a zombie apocalypse,” incorporating references to places, animals, activities, movie characters, colors, or emojis. However, Spotify notes that the best playlists result from prompts combining genres, moods, artists, and decades.
Spotify utilizes its understanding of users’ tastes to personalize the playlists generated with the feature.
Once the playlist is created, users can further refine it using AI by issuing commands like “less upbeat” or “more pop.” Additionally, users can swipe left on any songs to remove them from the playlist.
Technologically, Spotify employs large language models (LLMs) to interpret the user’s intent. It then uses its personalization technology, drawing from the listener’s history and preferences, to fulfill the prompt and create a personalized AI-generated playlist.
The company employs a variety of third-party tools for its AI and machine learning experiences.
Reports about Spotify developing AI playlists first surfaced in October 2023, and the company confirmed the testing of AI-driven playlist creation in December 2023, following a TikTok video showcasing the feature, which the user described as “Spotify’s ChatGPT.