Spotify launched an AI assistant for searching music and podcasts

Spotify has introduced a new AI assistant that users can interact with to discover music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The new feature is currently rolling out in beta for Premium subscribers on iOS and Android devices.

Users will be able to enter queries via text as well as speak with the assistant using voice. The AI supports full dialogue: for example, you can ask it to suggest new artists, then specify a genre, mood, or release period for tracks, and add favorite songs to your queue, save them to your library, or follow the artist.

Beyond recommendations, the assistant will be able to answer questions about the music you're listening to, share the history behind songs, provide album release dates, and suggest similar artists. Users will also be able to access their own listening statistics—for instance, when they first played a particular track or which genres they listened to most frequently.

The new feature relies on a combination of Spotify's own AI developments and models from several third-party providers. The specific model used in each case depends on the particular task at hand.

The launch of the new assistant marks another step in Spotify's integration of artificial intelligence into its service. Previously, the company introduced AI DJ with a synthesized voice, tools for creating playlists based on text prompts, and integration with external AI chatbots, including ChatGPT.

The feature is available only in English to users aged 18 and older. Spotify notes that the service is in the beta testing phase, so its performance may be unstable. The company plans to improve the AI assistant based on user feedback.

Source: TechCrunch