Earlier this fall, it emerged that Spotify was developing a new feature that would allow users of the streaming app to create playlists using AI technology and prompts. Now, this “AI-powered playlists” feature has been spotted in the wild, as part of a test to see how users respond to AI-based playlist creation. The company confirmed the testing to TechCrunch, but did not share more details about the technology and how it works, nor did it commit to a time frame for the launch.
The feature was introduced in Tik Tok video By user @robdad_ who wrote, “I randomly discovered Spotify’s ChatGPT?” According to the screenshots he shared, the AI playlists feature can be accessed from the Your Library tab in the Spotify app by tapping the plus (+) button at the top right of the screen. Here, a menu pops up and the AI Playlist feature is a new option under the existing Playlist and Mix options.
“Turn your ideas into playlists with AI” reads the feature description and notes that it is currently only available in English.
@robdad_ How long have they had this update on spotify. Now they got chatGPT to create our own playlists… also what is Home Exploration 😭😭 #Spotify #to update #ai ♬ Heavy Metal Lover Overlap – jinxknsaudios
After selecting the option, users are presented with a screen where they can type their prompt into an AI chatbot-shaped box, or browse through a list of suggested prompts to get started. The video featured takeaways like “Focus on work with electronic instruments,” “Fill the silence with café music in the background,” “Enjoy fun, upbeat, and positive songs,” and “Explore a niche genre like Witch.” a house.”
The user selected the last prompt and the AI chatbot responded “Processing your request…” and then provided a sample playlist. From this screen, you can swipe left to remove any songs you don’t want to further enhance the playlist.
TechCrunch reported in October that references to this new AI feature were discovered in Spotify’s mobile phone by a tech expert Chris Messina, which shared screenshots of a feature that will create “playlists based on your prompts.” However, Spotify declined at the time to confirm its plans for AI-powered playlists, saying it would not comment on speculation about new features.
Today, the company is still trying to play down user expectations and excitement about the AI playlists feature, only confirming that it was a test for now.
“We routinely run a number of tests. Some of these end up paving the way for our broader experience and others just serve as important learning,” a Spotify spokesperson said. “We don’t have anything further to share at this time,” they added.
Although the company is not yet ready to commit to launching AI-powered playlists, the company is working to increase investment in AI across its app, including launching an AI DJ at the beginning of the year, which offers personalized playlists and feedback. Voiced by AI based on Spotify’s head of cultural partnerships, Xavier ‘X’ Jernigan. This feature became available globally in August.
Speaking about the launch of DJ, Ziad Sultan, head of personalization at Spotify, noted that the company has “a large research team that understands all the possibilities across large language models, across generative audio, [and] Through personalization.” He told TechCrunch that Spotify wants to be known for its “AI expertise.”
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also teased other ways the company is putting AI to use at the company, saying Spotify may look to use generative AI to summarize podcasts and automatically create audio ads. He also praised the role of AI in music creation, saying he could envision artists using AI tools while creating new songs. Additionally, Spotify has looked into using AI to create host-read podcast ads that look like a real person, and uses AI to power its personalization techniques. Turning AI into one of the most popular use cases for its application — playlist creation — is no stretch.
It remains to be seen whether the new AI feature will be made available to the public. In the meantime, let us know if you have this feature in your app and how successful you think it is.
Sarah Perez is available at sarahp@techcrunch.com and (415) 234-3994 on Signal.