Spotify enters the AI market with new DJ tool

22 February, 2023

The discussion around AI has become increasingly prevalent over the past year, with the advent of many AI image generation services like Midjourney, OpenAI’s DALL-E, or ChatGPT. AI services, in a way, have been used for a long time but they’re now becoming more intelligent and, more importantly, more open to casual users.

Spotify, the leader in music streaming, is now joining the fray with a tool they’re calling simply: DJ.

This isn’t the first generative playlist Spotify has launched, but it’s the first in which they’ve done so publicly and labeled an official beta.

[DJ] will sort through the latest music and look back at some of your old favorites—maybe even resurfacing that song you haven’t listened to for years. It will then review what you might enjoy and deliver a stream of songs picked just for you. And what’s more, it constantly refreshes the lineup based on your feedback.

If you’re not feeling the vibe, just tap the DJ button and it will switch it up. The more you listen and tell the DJ what you like (and don’t like!), the better its recommendations get. Think of it as the very best of Spotify’s personalization—but as an AI DJ in your pocket.

The more you listen on Spotify, the more the service has access to your streaming habits and moods, down to the time of day or even geolocation data. Perhaps you prefer one kind of music at home on a Tuesday at 4pm compared to driving home from work on a Friday at 6pm, this new AI will tap into that data and should (hypothetically) service you the appropriate soundtrack for your mood.