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Spotify is making its app more of an 'assistant' for listening. Premium subscribers will be able to use the new 'Talk to Spotify' feature, which lets them ask for music, podcasts and audiobooks through typed or spoken prompts.
The feature is coming to Premium users in the United States, Ireland, and Sweden as a beta for both iOS and Android in English. As it is still in beta, Spotify has said the experience may not always work perfectly, while user feedback is used to improve the product.
The new AI experience is embedded in Spotify's Home and Now Playing views on mobile. Users can type the question into an AI-like text box or tap on the microphone icon to speak to the app.
The chatbot is different from the older recommendation chatbots since it can respond with a listener's own Spotify data. This allows it to use playlists, favorite artists, repeat listens, and listening history.
Spotify already has some AI capabilities like AI DJ and AI Playlists. However, Talk to Spotify wants to be more interactive. A user may instruct the app to 'play some artists I haven't heard before' and then narrow the search to a new album, a particular artist or a mood.
This feature can also save songs, queue songs, and follow artists using natural language. Spotify confirmed that the system is composed of both its own AI technology and several models from different providers, depending on the task.
The rollout represents Spotify's move towards a more personalised discovery experience when it comes to music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The company has long had user issues with suggestions from its algorithms, and conversational AI lets users have a greater say about what the platform plays next.
Spotify's new conversational feature is designed to make it 'more personal and useful for every listener,' the company said. The chatbot would be a notable improvement for users to search, discover, and control audio in the app if successful.
