Welcome to the Future: Spotify Introduces an AI DJ
There’s a reason why everyone’s talking about AI these days.
It’s everywhere – from chatbots and advertising to music streaming and even dating apps (how else do you think Hinge finds your ‘most compatible’ match)? So if you ask us, it can be pretty hard to think of a life before AI.
After all, it’s made our lives easier, and has made everyday processes a lot more personalized. Have you ever browsed for a product and decided not to buy it, only to find that very same product show up for you on Google Ads a few days later?
No, that’s not some kind of mysterious telepathy – it’s AI in action. And it works!
And now, Spotify has taken things a step further by introducing its very own AI DJ.
How Spotify Became the Leaders of Music Personalization
Music streaming giant, Spotify, is no stranger to personalization – thanks to their partner-in-crime, AI.
When you fire up Spotify and start blasting your favourite songs, their nifty AI algorithms get to work, analyzing everything from your listening history to your most-listened-to artists and genres.
Then, based on all that data, Spotify creates custom playlists and recommends new songs and artists that it thinks you’ll rate.
It’s like having your very own music-loving butler who knows just what you want, when you want it. What makes Spotify’s personalization reign superior to its competitors is it’s much-loved ‘Spotify Wrapped’ which shows you a whole year summary of:
- Your most listened-to artists, songs and albums
- How many minutes you spent listening
- Your favourite genres
- Your listening personality, such as ‘Voyager’ for those who listen to music from other parts of the world, and ‘Early Adopter’ for subscribers who listen to songs before they get popular
Clearly, personalized music experiences are at the heart of Spotify’s brand identity. The platform makes it easy for users to spread the word too, with all these individualized metrics shareable on social media.
Talk about free publicity!
The Nitty Gritty – How Does Spotify’s AI DJ Work?
Considering that Spotify has pretty much nailed the art of personalization, you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out why the platform has introduced an AI DJ to the mix..tape.
Ok, ok, we’ll stop with the puns..for now!
We’re sure you have bucket loads of questions about how it all works, but luckily, we’ve done all the hard work for you.
The AI DJ not only recommends new and old songs like your playlists would, but it actually provides commentary and fun facts about the tracks like a real DJ or radio host.
And get this – the voice of the AI DJ is actually based on a real person – Spotify’s Head of Cultural Partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan! He already has hosting experience from being a regular on Spotify’s morning show, The Get Up, so you know they picked carefully!
You don’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s ‘feelings’ if you aren’t a fan of the DJ’s recommendations either – the more you listen, and the more feedback you provide, the better your experience will be!
Spotify uses Open AI (the company behind the infamous ChatGPT) to help with personalization and gather information for commentary. It also uses an AI voice platform, Sonnatic to turn text into a realistic voice for the AI DJ to serenade you with.
Virtual Spotify DJ: Rate or Hate?
While listening to a virtual DJ with Spotify sounds great in theory, you’re probably wondering if people are actually loving the new feature or not:
The Good
Spotify launched a pretty snazzy announcement for the new AI DJ on their YouTube channel, and after reading the comments, it’s pretty safe to say that most users are loving it.
The announcement’s comment section is currently flooded with users talking about how excited they are for the feature and how much it’s going to change their listening experience – in a good way, of course!
Just think about it – personalized commentary for the songs YOU listen to, minus the ads of traditional radio (AI DJ is only available for Spotify Premium).
It’s the best of both worlds!
The Bad
While the feedback after launching the AI DJ has been predominantly positive, we think it’s always better to look at the whole picture.
Some users have said that despite Spotify’s best efforts, the AI DJ doesn’t sound as realistic as they like – and that the commentary feels scripted (which, duh, it is!) or sometimes stumbles on certain artists and songs.
If you ask us though, this isn’t any cause for concern. You’ve got to keep in mind that Spotify’s AI DJ is still in the Beta (testing) stage, so there’s still so much opportunity for improvement. AI technology is only going to get better over time, and for an industry-first, we think Spotify did a damn good job!
How to Use Spotify DJ Mode Like a Boss
We know you’re probably itching to try the Spotify virtual DJ by now. So without further ado, here are all the steps you need to access your new personal ‘radio host’!
- On your IOS or Android device, go to your Music Feed within the Spotify App
- Hit the ‘Play’ button on the card called ‘DJ’
- Sit back and listen as the AI DJ curates a song selection for you, alongside some commentary!
- If you’re not liking what you’re hearing, you can tap the ‘DJ’ button again at the bottom right of your screen to switch up the genre, mood, artist or song
The Beta version of Spotify DJ Mode is already available here in the U.S. (and Canada) – yay! The other parts of the world however, will have to sit tight until it’s their turn.
Seeing that so many users with access have been loving the feature though, it’s only a matter of time until Spotify introduces its AI DJ to other markets – and in more languages.
What’s Brewing in the AI Kitchen
If we told you how much we’d be using AI in 2023 just five years ago, you’d probably laugh and think we were reading a synopsis of a dystopian book. But AI is real and it’s moving faster than we ever imagined.
Even the top social media platforms are adopting AI (or at least trying to!) in one way or another:
Meta
Mark Zuckerberg spilled the beans on his own AI plans for Meta, with the end goal of creating multi-purpose AI personas that can help individuals with their unique wants.
While we wait, Meta has already started adding AI chatbot options to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
And don’t think we forgot about Instagram!
In order to compete with TikTok’s impressive range of AI filters, Instagram is now experimenting with AI-generated filters on the app.
Snapchat
The social media platform recently announced that it will be launching ‘My AI’, which is a new AI chatbot that enhances the user experience and even has a unique voice and personality.
You can use ‘My AI’ to answer questions, provide ideas for gifts and activities, help you write a poem and so much more. It’s basically trying to be your virtual bestie.
Ready to Make the Most of AI?
Just when we thought that radio was approaching its tragic demise, Spotify basically revived the concept and repackaged it into the glorious world of music streaming – thanks to AI.
But what does this mean for your business?
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We’re talking ads that are so personalized, it’s like we’re reading your customers’ minds!
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