Spotify is launching its AI feature dubbed “DJ” for premium customers in the UK and Ireland. The feature focuses on music discovery and plays curated music with AI-powered commentary in English. In many ways, using the AI DJ feels like listening to a radio DJ.
The company first launched this feature in February for premium subscribers in the US and Canada. The feature is powered by OpenAI’s technology and is still in beta, so there may be some issues.
After launching the feature, the company noticed that Gen Z liked the new DJ feature as they made up 87% of DJ users. In addition, the company found that people using the AI DJ on any given day spend 25% of their listening time on the feature.
Image Credits: Spotify
Spotify said the DJ’s voice is modeled after the company’s head of cultural partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan. For example, it noted that users who tune in to the feature will hear that Arlo Parks is releasing her latest album, “My Soft Machine,” by the end of the month. Ultimately, Spotify could use this feature as a new revenue stream to promote new releases on the platform.
While launching the feature at Spotify’s Stream On event, the company said the AI DJ will be powered by its 2022 acquisition of Sonatic alongside OpenAI technology.
The DJ plays songs automatically, but users can tap the AI DJ button to switch moods or genres. Like any AI-assisted technology, the feature learns more about your choices the more you listen.
The AI DJ feature is available on both iOS and Android. You can access it through the Music Feed by tapping the DJ card.
