Spotify’s plans to enable AI-generated playlists were already leaked in October this year, but the music streaming platform is now testing the feature publicly, hinting at an imminent launch.
Spotify has also confirmed to TechCrunch that is indeed testing AI playlists but stayed tight-lipped about any details on how it will work or when it will launch. We do, however, know that these AI playlists will be made in seconds with a few prompts, quite like most generative AI features in other apps.
This public Spotify test was spotted by a TikTok user @robdad who wrote: “I just randomly discovered Spotify’s ChatGPT?”. The video has since been removed from TikTok, which confirms that it’s legitimate since Spotify is trying to keep it under wraps before an official announcement.
Thankfully, the user did share screenshots of AI playlists which shed light on what to expect. According to the screenshots, Spotify’s AI playlists will be available in the app’s “Your Library” section under the plus icon on the top right of the screen. This will show the usual pop-up menu including the “Playlist” and “Blend” options, but there will also be the new AI playlist feature. This feature is described in the app as “Turn your ideas into playlists using AI”, though it is currently limited to the English language.
The AI playlist option will give users a screen to either input a custom prompt into a box reminiscent of an AI chatbot or choose from a list of pre-suggested prompts. Some of the prompt examples showcased in a demo included selections like instrumental electronica for work focus, background café music for ambiance, upbeat, fun, and positive tunes for energy, and delving into specialized genres such as Witch House.
Once a prompt is entered into the app, Spotify takes a few moments to process the request and presents a sample playlist. Songs from this AI playlist can easily be removed with a swipe or pressing the options button. It remains to be seen how effective this feature is as of yet since it is only in its testing phase.
As mentioned earlier, Spotify has not revealed when AI playlists are rolling out to the public, but it should not be long anymore.
