THE BEAST

Photo by David Pupăză on Unsplash

Over the past year or so, Spotify has been experimenting with AI to make their service even better. One of its latest tools – AI Playlist – gives music lovers the ability to create playlists by interacting with an AI chatbot. Words, phrases, certain times and places, and even emojis can all be used to source tracks that match your mood.

Spotify’s New Tools

Music streaming has become increasingly competitive, with Apple, Amazon, and YouTube all having significant market share and compelling offerings. Apple Music is gaining popularity for having superior sound quality, and YouTube Music has a bigger emphasis on music videos with a better free plan. This competition has no doubt led to Spotify's investment in new tools that further improve the experience for users. 

Spotify uses a clever marketing tactic that is found everywhere today – the free trial. Many online businesses, from Amazon Prime to iGaming websites, use free trials to give users a taste of what they can get as a paying customer. Newcomers often get the most, as best seen in casinos with free bonuses for new customers , like spins of prize-based wheels. While the free trial concept predates the internet, it has gained a new life in the digital age and has been key to online business success.

Now they’re at the top of their industry, Spotify needs a little extra to stay ahead of the crowd. That’s why Spotify now offers podcasts and even audiobooks if you pay for the subscription , while introducing new AI tools to make the music side of the business even better. First came the AI DJ, which used basic machine learning to scan your music tastes and recommend similar tunes. The ‘daylist’ followed – a list that tracked your listening habits to match your mood throughout the day.

The AI Playlist Explained

Rumours of the AI playlist started long before April 2024, when Spotify first announced the feature publicly. By then, generative AI had already gone mainstream, with lots of companies integrating it into their services. For those who haven’t tinkered with it yet, the core idea is that users enter prompts and the model outputs a response. ChatGPT is the most famous example, with natural language acting as a way of talking to the AI in a way it understands .

Spotify wanted to add song collecting to that list, providing users with a special companion that will find music without even needing to hear your tunes. In their press release, Spotify gives some examples of prompts that you could use, like “an indie folk playlist to give my brain a big, warm hug.” If you’re here, you’re probably after something a little more energetic than that. Fortunately for you, you can tell the AI that yourself.

To access the playlist, go to ‘Your Library’ and tap the plus button. You should find the AI playlist there, where you can select a pre-written prompt or choose your own. The AI will create its playlist and, if it has your tastes all wrong, you can fine-tune the list with follow-up demands. Finalised playlists are automatically saved in your library.

If you don’t see this new feature in your own Spotify account, you may not have access to it yet. It’s still in beta, with Spotify Premium users in the UK or Australia getting the most access so far, but that’s sure to change soon.