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Spotify already found success with its popular AI DJ feature<\/a>, and now the streaming music service is bringing AI to playlist creation. The company on Monday introduced AI playlists into beta, a new option that allows users to generate a playlist based on written prompts.<\/p>\n The feature will initially become available to users on Android and iOS devices in the U.K. and Australia and will be iterated on in the months ahead.<\/p>\n In addition to more standard playlist creation requests, like those based on genre or time frame, Spotify\u2019s use of AI means people could ask for a wider variety of custom playlists, like \u201csongs to serenade my cat\u201d or \u201cbeats to battle a zombie apocalypse,\u201d Spotify suggests. Prompts can reference all sorts of things, like places, animals, activities, movie characters, colors or emojis. The company notes that the best playlists are generated using prompts that contain a combination of genres, moods, artists and decades, however.<\/p>\n Spotify also leverages its understanding of users\u2019 tastes to customize the playlists it makes with the feature.<\/p>\n After the playlist is generated, users can then use the AI to revise and refine the end result by issuing commands like \u201cless upbeat\u201d or \u201cmore pop,\u201d for example. Users can also swipe left on any songs to remove them from the playlist.<\/p>\n In terms of the technology, Spotify says it\u2019s using large language models (LLMs) to understand the user\u2019s intent. Then, Spotify uses its personalization technology \u2014 the information it has about the listener\u2019s history and preferences \u2014 to fulfill the prompt and create a personalized AI-generated playlist for the user.<\/p>\n The company uses a range of third-party tools for its AI and machine learning experiences.<\/p>\n TechCrunch first reported<\/a> in October 2023 that Spotify was developing AI playlists, when reverse engineers Chris Messina and Alessandro Paluzzi shared screenshots of code from Spotify\u2019s app that referred to AI playlists that were \u201cbased on your prompts.\u201d<\/p>\n Spotify at the time declined to comment on the finding, saying it would not offer a statement on possible new features. However, in December 2023, the company confirmed<\/a> that it was testing AI-driven playlist creation after a TikTok video of the feature surfaced showing what the Spotify user described as \u201cSpotify\u2019s ChatGPT.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The feature is found in the \u201cYour Library\u201d tab in Spotify\u2019s app by tapping on the plus button (+) at the top right of the screen. A pop-up menu appears showing the AI Playlist as a new option alongside the existing \u201cPlaylist\u201d and \u201cBlend\u201d options.<\/p>\n If a listener can\u2019t think of any prompts to try, Spotify offers prompt suggestions to help people get started, like \u201cget focused at work with instrumental electronica,\u201d \u201cfill in the silence with background caf\u00e9 music,\u201d \u201cget pumped up with fun, upbeat, and positive songs\u201d or \u201cexplore a niche genre like Witch House\u201d and many others.<\/p>\n To save an AI playlist, tap the \u201cCreate\u201d button to add it to the library.<\/p>\n The company notes the AI has guardrails around it so it will not respond to offensive prompts or those focused on current events or specific brands.<\/p>\n Spotify has been investing in AI technology to improve its streaming service for many months. With the launch of AI DJ, which expanded globally last year<\/a>, the company used a combination of Sonantic and OpenAI technology to create an artificial version of the voice of Spotify\u2019s head of cultural partnerships, Xavier \u201cX\u201d Jernigan, who introduces personalized song selections to the user. Last year, Spotify said it was investing in in-house research<\/a> to better understand the latest in AI and large language models.<\/p>\n CEO Daniel Ek has also teased to investors other ways Spotify could leverage AI,<\/a> including by summarizing podcasts, creating AI-generated audio ads, and more. The company has also looked into using AI tech that would clone a podcast host\u2019s voice for host-read ads<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ahead of AI playlists, Spotify launched a similar feature, Niche Mixes<\/a>, that allowed users to create personalized playlists using prompts, but the product did not leverage AI technology and was more limited in terms of its language understanding.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n