Spotify reveals new AI-powered DJ to personalise music for users

23 Feb 2023

Image: © natanaelginting/Stock.adobe.com

Developed with OpenAI technology, the new DJ feature uses AI to suggest music and provide commentary in ‘a stunningly realistic voice’.

Spotify is the latest big name in tech to throw its hat into the AI ring with a new DJ feature amid burgeoning demand for the technology.

The Stockholm-based music streaming giant has revealed its latest feature: an AI-powered DJ that acts as a sort of virtual assistant to users listening to music through the app.

Spotify describes the DJ as a personalised AI guide that “knows you and your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you”.

Now rolling out in beta, the DJ will perform a variety of tasks ranging from curating a line-up of music it thinks the user will like, to commentary around the tracks and artists “in a stunningly realistic voice”.

The DJ will enhance Spotify’s existing personalisation features by sorting through the latest music and looking at some of the user’s old favourites that they may not have heard in 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 line-up based on your feedback,” the company said.

“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 personalisation – but as an AI DJ in your pocket.”

Spotify has launched several features over the years that help personalise music, including Discover Weekly and the ubiquitous-every-December Wrapped campaign. Its latest DJ feature uses generative AI technology developed by ChatGPT maker OpenAI.

“We put this in the hands of our music editors to provide you with insightful facts about the music, artists, or genres you’re listening to,” the company said. “With this generative AI tooling, our editors are able to scale their innate knowledge in ways never before possible.”

In its latest earnings report last month, Spotify revealed that it surpassed the milestone of 200m paid subscribers in 2022. However, the company’s operating losses continue to mount and it recently revealed plans to cut roughly 6pc of its global workforce.

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Vish Gain was a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com