Spotify is getting a new AI DJ with the help of ChatGPT’s creators
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AIs are currently taking over the technology. They’re no longer just an assistant in our phones and smart speakers, and after making search engines talkative and winning photo contests, they’re now becoming Spotify DJs too.
Spotify – one of the world’s top music streaming services – has just unveiled its new tech-powered DJ feature OpenAI (the same team behind ChatGPT) that will work like the real thing, albeit with your own personalized playlist.
Premium subscribers in the US and Canada (using Spotify on their Android or iOS devices) should now be able to see the DJ card in their music feed. If you can’t now, you may have to wait a day or two for the update to roll out. Once it’s there, tap this option and the DJ AI will then start playing songs based on the music you usually like. In addition, it provides short commentary between songs, just like a real radio presenter.
The DJ’s voice is modeled after Xavier ‘X’ Jernigan, the host of Spotify’s morning show Getting up – although Spotify calls this the “first model”, suggesting other AI hosts (perhaps with their own unique styles) will launch in the future.
As seen in the trailer above, the AI comments on why it chose certain songs – such as saying it’s returning to the music you “had a lot in 2018” – though it will apparently be able to comment if a song was recently released and gives you facts about the artist (using the expertise of Spotify’s human editors). And if you don’t like the vibe of the AI, you can hit the DJ icon at the bottom right of the screen to try something else.
This feature looks really neat and if the AI voice sounds as realistic in real life as it does in the trailer, it could be an interesting way to enjoy your Spotify library. It should also be a good way to discover new tracks with the press release (opens in new tab) saying his DJ will help you find new songs and artists that he thinks you’ll like.
DJ is currently only in beta – that’s why it’s on a limited release – so expect some bugs here and there. But as an Apple Music listener, this announcement has already convinced me to try Spotify so I can give DJ a shot.