Spotify has expanded its AI-powered DJ feature to Premium users in Australia.
The DJ feature, currently in beta, is a personalised AI guide that “knows you and your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you.”
As such, the DJ will deliver a lineup of music alongside commentary around the tracks and artists in a “stunningly” realistic voice. At launch, listeners will have the option to hear English language commentary from an initial voice model based on Spotify’s own head of cultural partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan.
Spotify has been working hard on AI to boost its offering as a marketing platform. The company has been trialling a system that uses AI to read adverts in podcast host’s voice, at least according to American sports writer and podcast host Bill Simmons who hosts a podcast on the platform.
“There is going to be a way to use my voice for the ads. You have to obviously give the approval for the voice, but it opens up, from an advertising standpoint, all these different great possibilities for you,” he said.
However, Spotify would not be drawn on the tech and only mentioned its AI work with the DJ feature.
“We’re always working to enhance the Spotify experience and test new offerings that benefit creators, advertisers and users,” a Spotify spokesperson told TechCrunch.
“The AI landscape is evolving quickly and Spotify, which has a long history of innovation, is exploring a wide array of applications, including our hugely popular AI DJ feature. There has been a 500 per cent increase in the number of daily podcast episodes discussing AI over the past month including the conversation between Derek Thompson and Bill Simmons. Advertising represents an interesting canvas for future exploration, but we don’t have anything to announce at this time.”
