In the nine years since its launch, Spotify Wrapped has evolved from a rudimentary list of your top tracks and genres to a deeply personal experience. These days, it feels more like a horoscope than an interactive music chart.
But, even though Wrapped is arguably bigger than ever (one glance at the torrent of self-deprecating memes from anxious pop stans awaiting its release on X will tell you that), it’s still just a fleeting moment in our terminally online lives.
Once you’ve shared your stats with your Instagram followers, with a meticulously-crafted caption, you’ll move on to the next trend. So, to get you to spend some extra time with Wrapped, Spotify is turning to artificial intelligence, with a little help from Google.
What is the Your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast?
Alongside the usual rundown of your listening habits, delivered in a very shareable package with eye-popping visuals, this year’s edition of Wrapped features a personalised podcast in which two AI hosts discuss your year in music.
The feature harnesses Google’s Notebook LM, a free note-taking and research tool powered by the company’s Gemini AI model.
Specifically, the Wrapped AI podcast relies on Notebook’s big showstopper: Audio Overview, which can turn PDFs, study guides and text into an engaging discussion between two presenters.
Only, instead of waxing academic, the twin MCs will now riff on Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar, Waxahatchee, or whichever artists you had on repeat this year. The AI does its best to sound natural, using interjections like "yeah" and "oh wow”, human-like intonation, and occasional interruptions.
Behind the scenes, Spotify and Google have been cosying up to each other, with Spotify using Google’s AI tools to dish up podcast and audiobook recommendations. More recently, Gemini added a Spotify extension, allowing the AI to play songs from the music-streaming service.
For their latest partnership, Google built a customised version of Gemini Flash (a lightweight AI model that can process audio, text, images and video) to run Audio Overview at scale on the music-streaming service.
So as not to bore you, the Wrapped AI podcast clocks in at a breezy three to six minutes. You can find it in your Wrapped home feed or by searching for “Your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast”.
AI Playlists and AI DJ join the Wrapped party
The podcast isn’t the only AI feature included in Wrapped. As part of this year’s festivities, the AI playlist creator Spotify launched in April now weaves in your Wrapped data. This way, you can create as many Wrapped playlists as you like instead of settling for the default playlists Spotify offers.
Like the rest of Wrapped, the new features are designed to be talked about and shared with friends. You can download the AI podcast to your device, while inviting mates to collab on your AI playlists.
Lastly, the AI DJ is back this year, too, spinning an endless mix of your Wrapped songs, from top tracks and genres to deep cuts you may have forgotten. Of the three AI features, only the AI podcast is available to free users.
What else is new in Spotify Wrapped 2024?
More broadly, Wrapped 2024 packs in new ways to explore your personal soundtrack.
Spotify is introducing a music videos playlist composed of songs from your favourite artists; your Wrapped will be presented as a story in three distinct chapters that reflect your musical phases (dubbed Your Music Evolution) and, by tapping share on a music or podcast, you’ll see if it’s in your top charts.
This year’s Wrapped is also a Taylor Swift love-in. To celebrate the Bad Blood singer nabbing the top global artist spot for the second year in a row, Spotify is awarding her with a special Wrapped badge.
There’s also an Easter Egg experience that animates the play button to match Swift’s discography, with sparkles for Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Seagulls for 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
Plus, Swifties can rock a special augmented-reality friendship bracelet on Snapchat.
