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 US, Ireland and Sweden on iOS and Android devices for users aged 18 and over in English. It’s considered a beta version, which means things may not always work perfectly, Spotify says, but user feedback will help improve the product.
The company didn’t specifically share more details about the AI technology under the hood in its announcement, but Spotify confirmed to TechCrunch that it uses a combination of its own AI technology and models from multiple providers, based on what’s best for the job.
The addition is the latest example of how Spotify has used AI technology to help people interact with the app’s extensive catalog of music, podcasts and audiobooks. The company also offers tools like an AI DJ that speaks with an AI voice that you can interact with directly, as well as AI features for creating playlists with prompts and those for connecting Spotify to 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 into the app and have ongoing 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 delve into podcasts or audiobooks.
This means you could enter questions like what inspired a particular song or album release dates, 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 can explore more about what kind of stuff you’ve been streaming lately.
In announcing the new feature, Spotify also offers some suggestions on how to use this interactive technology. For example, you could ask Spotify to “play some artists I’ve never heard before” and then continue to shape that selection with follow-up actions, such as asking it to add a specific artist by name or narrow the selection to more recent tracks. You could also further shape the request by asking it to be “more optimistic” or give it other directions.
Additionally, you can ask Spotify to save songs, add songs to your queue, or follow the artist through the new feature.
The feature is now rolling out in mobile markets.
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