What you need to know
- Spotify's AI-powered feature, DJ, is rolling out to more users across Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
- The feature is designed to provide users with a similar experience as the one you'd have when listening to a radio show, including music and commentary from a radio presenter providing information about the artist whose song is playing.
- Sonantic AI powers DJ's voice.
- You'll need a Spotify Premium subscription to access this feature.
At the beginning of this year, generative AI took the world by storm, which saw many companies and organizations hop onto the bandwagon. Spotify wasn't left behind either, as it debuted an AI-powered feature dubbed DJ.
Based on the name alone, it's apparent that the feature is centered around creating a versatile mix of things (in this case, music with a blend of presenting). Curating playlists is no walk in the park, regardless of whether it's yours or someone else's.
Luckily, with this new feature, you can leverage AI capabilities to curate a personalized playlist. Spotify refers to the feature as an AI DJ in your pocket and boasts of its capability to pinpoint your music taste and use this knowledge to create a playlist you'd like.
The feature rolled out in beta in February, exclusive to Spotify Premium users based in the US and Canada. Given the increased rates across Spotify's plans, seeing how many people opt for this experience will be interesting. And now, as spotted by Paul O'Malley, a tech enthusiast and Modern Workplace Trainer on Mastodon, the experience is now rolling out to more users across "Australia, New Zealand, and all of Europe." It's still only available in English.
Spotify shared a trailer highlighting how the feature should work during the launch. In essence, the feature provides users with a similar listening experience to the one you'd have when listening to a show on a radio show. This includes the music and commentary from a radio presenter providing information and tidbits about the artist whose song is playing.
I don't have access to the feature yet, but during the launch, Spotify indicated that the playlist is endless. And for great measure, users can change the genre or artist at any time using the DJ button.
The company also indicated that it would refine the experience further by improving on the recommendations it provides for new artists. Likewise, when it comes to older songs that you liked.
It's also worth noting that the feature's artificial voice is backed up by voice tech from Sonantic AI. Spotify acquired Sonantic AI back in 2022. The company disclosed that DJ depends on a wide array of resources for the words it uses, including a writer's room packed with music experts, data curators, and AI technology by OpenAI.
Everything is going digital, even radio
Recently, we've seen a paradigm shift in the entertainment scene. The Internet is cheap and widely accessible. As such, it was only a matter of time before the world caught up.
There's an increased use of streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube. Why would you listen to the radio or watch a program on TV when you can access everything via these streaming platforms? Digital media has completely taken off, so more people are venturing into podcasting and vlogging across these platforms.
And with the emergence of neat features such as DJ in Spotify, it seems that there's no way back for "conventional" media. However, there's also a growing concern over AI and the safety measures put in place to ensure that it doesn't spiral out of control.
There's also the issue of AI replacing humans and taking up their jobs, and while it didn't appear as a major concern among users as highlighted in Microsoft's Work Index Report. If DJ can run an "entire radio show" by itself, where does that leave the entire crew?
