Another big AI feature could be coming to YouTube Music, but it still has a long way to go before it can beat Spotify
AI features are increasingly popping up in the best music streaming services, offering us more personalized listening experiences. And now YouTube Music could join the fray – with a new feature powered by Google Gemini.
As first reported by Android Authority, it looks like a Gemini extension is on its way to YouTube Music, allowing you to command Gemini to play music through your YouTube Music account. It also apparently improves discovery and search results when searching for music. While the new feature isn’t out yet, it is currently being tested and Android Authority has found a way to activate it.
In a demo video from the initial report, Android Authority contributor and known leaker Assemble Debug set up the Gemini extension for YouTube Music in the Google app v15.17.28.29.arm64.
Once it was set up, the contributor used voice prompts to ask Gemini to play some music, and from there Gemini did its magic to search YouTube Music for results. If you don’t have the YouTube Music app, Gemini plays music through the YouTube web app.
💯👀🔥The YouTube Music extension in Gemini will be available soon, likely to be announced at Google I/O. Check out the screenshot for all the details. I shared information about this on AndroidAuthority – https://t.co/9FzVxhdvvs#AI #Google #Gemini pic.twitter.com/FuNCf38frjMay 12, 2024
The leaker also took to
Standard voice requests included “Show me some rock music,” “Search (song name) by (artist),” and “Search for songs similar to (song name) by (artist).” According to Android Authority, when the YouTube Music extension is enabled, Gemini can access your account information like playlists and listening history, providing more refined results.
Since the upcoming Google I/O 2024 will likely reveal new Gemini updates, we expect them to be officially announced during the event. It could mark a new step for Google’s AI integration with its music apps, but it will have to do a bit more to catch up to Spotify.
Analysis: Spotify still seems to be the AI king (for now).
It’s clear that the AI battle between music streaming services is well underway, with all the major platforms pushing for their own unique AI integrations. But the Google-specified YouTube Music extension seems like another way to overtake Spotify, whose AI integrations have set the gold standard for these features.
As a loyal Spotify user, I firmly believe that its AI integrations and social features are the reasons why it is so popular – despite still not launching the long-awaited Hi-Res audio level. To me, Spotify can’t be beat, and Google’s next move seems like just another way to thwart Spotify’s success.
What Spotify excels at is its ability to provide users with personalized experiences, and its journey into AI begins with the Spotify AI DJ feature. Despite not offering the service I expected, it is a feature that was followed by Blend Playlists and more recently the Daylist feature which proved to be an incredibly popular feature shared via Instagram.
Until YouTube Music launches a feature more iconic than Daylists, I’m afraid I’ll stick with Spotify.