Spotify Unveils Personalized AI Playlists Enabled by User Prompts

Spotify, the renowned streaming music service, continues its innovative journey by introducing AI-powered playlist creation. This beta feature, named AI playlists, allows users to generate customized playlists based on written prompts.

Initially available on Android and iOS devices in the U.K. and Australia, this feature will evolve over time to cater to diverse user preferences.

Unlike traditional playlist creation based solely on genres or time frames, Spotify’s AI playlists offer a broader array of options. Users can request playlists for unique scenarios like “songs to serenade my cat” or “beats to battle a zombie apocalypse,” drawing inspiration from places, animals, activities, movie characters, colors, or emojis. Spotify emphasizes that the best playlists emerge from prompts combining genres, moods, artists, and decades.

Moreover, Spotify leverages its extensive understanding of users’ tastes to personalize playlists generated through this feature.

After playlist generation, users can further refine their playlists using AI commands like “less upbeat” or “more pop.” Additionally, they can swipe left on songs to remove them from the playlist.

Technologically, Spotify employs large language models (LLMs) to decipher user intent and personalize playlists based on individual listening histories and preferences.

The development of AI playlists was first hinted at in October 2023, when reverse engineers discovered code within Spotify’s app referring to AI playlists. The company confirmed its testing phase in December 2023, after a TikTok video showcased the feature.

Accessible via the “Your Library” tab in Spotify’s app, users can find the AI Playlist option alongside existing features like “Playlist” and “Blend.” For users seeking inspiration, Spotify provides prompt suggestions such as “get focused at work with instrumental electronica” or “explore a niche genre like Witch House.”

To save an AI playlist, users simply tap the “Create” button to add it to their library.

Spotify ensures that its AI has safeguards in place, preventing responses to offensive prompts or those related to current events or specific brands.

This innovation follows Spotify’s previous investment in AI technology, notably with the global expansion of AI DJ, where a synthesized version of Xavier “X” Jernigan’s voice introduces personalized song selections. CEO Daniel Ek has hinted at further AI applications, including podcast summarization and AI-generated audio ads.

Preceding AI playlists, Spotify introduced Niche Mixes, a similar feature without AI capabilities, for personalized playlist creation based on prompts.