Spotify Introduces AI-Powered Music Assistant for Premium Users

Introduces AI-Powered Music Assistant for Premium Users">

Spotify is taking another step to infuse AI technology into its listening experience, with Tuesday’s news that Premium users will now be able to have interactive conversations with the app to choose what music or other audio they want to hear. The feature is initially available in the U.S., Ireland, and Sweden across iOS and Android devices for users 18 years old and above in English. It’s considered a beta release, meaning that things may not always work perfectly, Spotify says, but user feedback will help to improve the product.

The company didn’t explicitly share more details about the AI technology under the hood in its announcement, but Spotify confirmed to TechCrunch that it uses a mix of its own AI technology and models from multiple providers, based on whatever is best for the task. The addition is the latest example of how Spotify has put AI technology to use to help people interact with the app’s extensive catalog of music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The company also offers tools like an AI DJ, which speaks in an AI voice that you can engage with directly, plus AI features for building playlists with prompts and those for connecting Spotify with third-party AI chatbots, like ChatGPT.

The new feature extends the ability to chat with Spotify beyond the AI DJ experience, allowing users to talk to Spotify across the app’s Home and Now Playing views on mobile devices. Users can either type or speak to the app and have back-and-forth conversations to help them choose what to play next. Beyond that, Spotify says the app will also be able to chat with users about their listening history and can help them learn more about their favorite music or go deeper into podcasts or audiobooks.

That means you could get into questions like what inspired a certain song, or dates of album releases, or even get suggestions of other artists you might like, based on what you’re playing. You can also ask about your own listening history, like when was the first time you played a certain track, or you could explore more into what sort of genres you’ve been streaming lately. In the announcement about the new feature, Spotify also offers a few suggestions as to how to use this interactive technology.

For instance, you could ask Spotify to “play some artists I haven’t heard before,” then continue to shape that selection with follow-ups, like asking it to add a specific artist by name, or narrow the selection to just more recent tracks. You could also shape the request further by asking it to be “more upbeat,” or give it other directions. Plus, you can ask Spotify to save songs, add songs to your queue, or follow the artist via the new feature.

The feature is rolling out now to the markets on mobile devices. Why this matters: Spotify's AI-powered music assistant is a significant expansion of the company's efforts to leverage AI and machine learning to enhance the user experience. By allowing users to interact with the app using natural language, Spotify is making it easier for users to discover new music, explore their listening history, and engage with the app in a more conversational way.