On April 7, 2024, Spotify announced the release of their latest feature called “AI Playlist”. This feature allows users to turn their ideas into customizable music playlists with the help of simple prompts.
Highlights:
- Spotify announces AI Playlist, its latest feature that works on creating playlists based on user prompts.
- The prompts can range from various variables such as emojis, colors, animals, activities, movie characters, and even locations.
- Currently rolled out to Spotify Premium users across UK and Australia regions.
Spotify's AI ambitions are expanding to playlists, which are launching in beta and let you use text prompts to build custom playlists, which you can then iterate upon.
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) April 8, 2024
Get the full rundown, which builds off of @sarahpereztc's earlier scoop, here: https://t.co/THSUeSUlhi pic.twitter.com/alfMActquZ
Over the last couple of years, Spotify has done a handy in introducing several cutting-edge features that have given it an edge over other music-playing applications. After finding success with the two features namely Niche Mixes and AI DJ, today they come up with another advancement in the name of AI Playlist.
What is this feature and how can you access it? How can this benefit the music audience by incorporating AI? In this article, we are going to explore all of these topics in-depth. So, let’s get right into it!
What is the AI Playlist by Spotify?
Spotify has released its latest feature named “AI Playlist” in the beta version. This feature will allow users to build any music playlist and customize it based on their ideas and preferences, with the help of a simple prompt.
Users can give several prompts describing the type of music genre and the tuning style fitting their needs. Spotify changed the whole field of musical mix optimization when they introduced AI through the Niche Mixes feature back in March last year, followed by the AI DJ feature in August. Both these features utilized AI to bring together wide diverse aspects of musical preferences to fruition.
Spotify users can already make and enjoy their playlists. However, creating specific musical playlists fine-tuned and designed to match a specific user’s preferences can be a time-consuming and hectic task. This is why Spotify launched AI playlist capabilities on Monday in an effort to streamline this process and enhance music lovers’ enjoyment to a whole new level.
In the latest AI Playlist feature, Spotify uses AI to recommend a wider range of personalized playlists, such as “songs to lighten up your mind”, “high bass beat music to feel energized,” and even “90s party jazz music”, in addition to more conventional playlist creation requests, such as those based on genre or time frame.
“Creating a new playlist with AI Playlist is as simple as typing a unique prompt into the chat. Looking for “an indie folk playlist to give my brain a big warm hug,” “relaxing music to tide me over during allergy season,” or “a playlist that makes me feel like the main character”? AI Playlist has you covered.”
Spotify’s latest blog on AI Playlist.
Spotify is providing full prompt flexibility to its users with the AI playlist feature. You can use emojis, colors, animals, activities, movie characters, and even locations as prompt suggestions! The best-performing playlists can be produced by using suggestions that combine different genres, emotions, artists, or historical periods. The prompt system is designed in such a manner as to give both new and experienced users, full control over determining the type of music playlist they want to have generated.
Regarding the technology underlying the AI function, Spotify discloses that it is interpreting user requests using large language models (LLMs). This can now be integrated with Spotify’s current customization algorithms to create unique playlists in response to certain cues. These algorithms assess a user’s listening history and preferences.
Describing a music playlist has a lot of variables, and AI Playlist is here to curate them all, to give you the best experience.
How can you access it?
The Spotify AI playlist feature has been rolled out to both Android and iOS devices, and only Spotify Premium users can access this feature currently in the Beta Phase. However, the AI Playlist is currently limited to only the UK and Australia regions. The company has announced the expansion of the feature to more regions in the days to come.
Here’s how users can access the AI Playlist feature:
- Go to the Spotify mobile app and click “Your Library” in the lower-right area of the screen to locate the AI Playlist.
- From Your Library, tap the “+” button at the top-right corner of the app and select “AI Playlist.”
- You can enter your own prompt or choose one of the given ones. Be detailed and imaginative! You may try making “tracks for horse riding into the sunset” or “sad music for painting dying flowers,” for instance.
- The AI Playlist will be in action, fetching top-quality songs to match your playlist’s prompt suggestions and give you the best possible experience.
- From there, previewing and removing tracks makes it simple to manage the song choices. By specifying your preferences for AI Playlist for example, “more pop” or “less upbeat”, you can edit and improve the playlists it creates.
- Your new playlist will be instantly saved in Your Library when you tap “Create.”
Thus, Spotify will do its best to give you the best-designed playlist when you make use of the AI Playlist feature by following these steps. So, users who have access to the feature, go enjoy having your playlists handed to you at ease!
Are there any limitations or safety concerns?
Apparently, there is no technical limitation of the AI Playlist feature introduced by Spotify. However, users must remember that the update is still in its beta phase, and though intended to be entertaining, the tool will not provide results for prompts unrelated to music, such as current affairs or certain brands.
Spotify said that they have also implemented some measures to check the use of offensive prompts. Users are asked to prompt responsively. Several tools such as OpenAI’s Sora, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini have introduced Generative AI, and safety concerns are a must along with GenAI in today’s world. Spotify is looking to do just the same.
Conclusion
AI Playlist from Spotify is an excellent advancement in improving the overall experience of the musical audience. AI algorithms along with music can do wonders for the industry, we already saw some glimpses of it from Suno’s v3 and now Spotify has left all of us impressed yet again. What lies ahead for AI Playlist when it is publicly released to more regions? Only time will tell.