Following the profitable launch of Spotify’s AI-powered DJ characteristic and, extra not too long ago, added help for AI-translated podcasts, Spotify now seems to be growing one other technique of utilizing AI in its app: AI-powered playlists. References found within the app’s code point out the corporate could also be growing generative AI playlists customers may create utilizing prompts.
The additions have been uncovered by tech veteran-turned-investor Chris Messina, who posted screenshots of code in Spotify’s app that check with “AI playlists” and “playlists primarily based in your prompts.” He theorized that creating these could also be an possibility inside the Mix style, the place the tastes of various customers are combined to create a playlist with songs that everybody likes.
Picture Credit: Spotify code via Chris Messina (opens in a new window)
Reached for remark, Spotify declined to substantiate its plans round AI playlists.
“At Spotify, we’re continuously iterating and ideating to enhance our product providing and supply worth to customers. However we don’t touch upon hypothesis round potential new options and should not have something new to share right now,” a spokesperson instructed TechCrunch.
That stated, Spotify could have already been laying the groundwork for AI playlists created with prompts when it developed a characteristic referred to as Area of interest mixes, which at the moment permits customers to construct distinctive playlists primarily based on an outline alone. These Area of interest mixes presently allow you to specify nearly something to create a playlist — from a style to a vibe or an aesthetic, like Cottagecore Indie Mix, Bubblegum Pop Mix, Discofox Mix, Feel Good Driving Mix, Fun Road Trip Mix, Travel Mashup Mix and others.
Nevertheless, Spotify instructed us when the Area of interest Mixes have been launched again in March that they weren’t AI-powered, regardless of their preliminary look. As a substitute, Spotify stated the mixes have been pushed by the corporate’s personalization tech and algorithms.
Picture Credit: Spotify code via Chris Messina (opens in a new window)
Messina tells TechCrunch his new findings point out the brand new AI playlists can be constructed utilizing prompts, as nicely, however he hasn’t but uncovered the characteristic within the public app, solely within the code.
He suspects the characteristic could also be tied to Mix as a result of there are additionally code references that point out customers may invite others to create AI playlists collectively.
Picture Credit: Spotify code through Chris Messina
All of the traces of code have been found within the newest construct of the Spotify app, so that is clearly a brand new, in-development characteristic.
In fact, not all options that an organization builds internally to check make it to the general public, nevertheless it is a sign of how Spotify is considering the position AI may play with regards to music personalization.
The corporate had urged beforehand that options just like the AI DJ wouldn’t be the restrict to Spotify’s adoption of AI applied sciences. There’s a group at Spotify that’s engaged on the newest language fashions, Spotify’s head of Personalization, Ziad Sultan, instructed us in a dialog on the firm’s occasion earlier this 12 months. Actually, Spotify has just a few hundred folks engaged on personalization and machine studying strategies, together with a big analysis group that’s working to grasp “all the chances throughout Massive Language Fashions, throughout generative voice, throughout personalization,” he had stated.
Across the identical time, TechCrunch additionally heard that Spotify had been toying with a ChatGPT-like chatbot that might permit customers to request music, however nothing was settled when it comes to a public launch on that entrance.
Replace, 10/3/23, 10:47 AM ET: Following publication, reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi published screenshots of the AI playlists characteristic within the Spotify app. The pictures point out the playlist can be another choice along with Mix and conventional playlists and can be accessible in English solely.
