spotify ai playlists

According to a new video, tests have kicked off for Spotify AI playlists. Photo Credit: Thibault Penin

Spotify is developing an artificial intelligence tool that generates playlists based upon text inputs, according to a new video.

A TikToker called @robdad_ posted a brief clip of the AI-powered playlisting feature, which appears in the video as a third option (beneath the existing “Playlist” and “Blend” selections) when one taps the appropriate icon to make a new playlist on Spotify’s mobile app.

Labeled “AI Playlist,” this third option enables fans to turn their “ideas into playlists using AI,” per the on-screen text. Tapping through the choice brings up a page titled “What kind of playlist would you like?,” with a collection of “suggested prompts” as well as a space to enter custom specifications.

Among the suggestions are “Get focused at work with instrumental electronica,” “Fill the silence with background café music,” and “Explore a niche genre like Witch House,” the video shows.

And as displayed in the clip, tapping the latter then brings up a 30-track playlist – with works such as Pearly Drops’ “Bloom for Me,” Grimes’ “Pin,” and Crystal Castles’ “Suffocation” – from which songs can be removed with a left swipe.

Lastly, one can save the automatically titled playlist (“Witch House Exploration” in this instance), according to the clip. At the time of this writing, Spotify had only issued a non-committal statement on the AI playlist test, indicating that its new-feature trials aren’t always indicative of plans to spearhead broader rollouts.

But evidence suggests that the AI playlist tool could become available to a larger number of Spotify users sooner rather than later, as the service has long been investing heavily in AI.

To be sure, Spotify’s AI DJ debuted in the US and Canada in February, expanded into Ireland and the UK in May, and reached some 50 additional countries in August. Then, September brought an AI playlist called Daylist, which, in keeping with its name, generates playlists based upon one’s listening habits at various points throughout the day.

Later in September, months after embracing AI to recreate podcasters’ voices for targeted adverts, Spotify revealed that it would begin using artificial intelligence to translate podcasts into different languages.

Lastly, November delivered a bolstered AI deal between Google and Spotify, with the streaming platform’s CEO having also backed AI venture firm Air Street Capital and opted against banning AI music uploads altogether.