Spotify launches AI-driven ‘prompted playlist’ for premium users in U.S., Canada

Spotify on Thursday rolled out “prompted playlist,” an artificial intelligence-powered feature in the United States and Canada that allows premium users tailor playlists using their listening habits and commands. (Natee Meepian/Adobe Stock)

Spotify on Thursday rolled out “prompted playlist,” an artificial intelligence-powered feature in the United States and Canada that allows premium users tailor playlists using their listening habits and commands.

After its successful run in New Zealand, the expansion is the latest in a series of AI-powered updates on the Swedish streaming platform as it looks to attract more users to its subscription plans from the free tier.

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“Listeners don’t just want Spotify to understand them. They want to actively shape their own experience,” Vice President Of Product Personalization Molly Holder said in a media briefing.

Spotify said the new feature would position users as active participants who direct the algorithm using their own words and intentions, rather than being passive recipients of suggestions provided by the streaming platform.

Unlike previous features such as AI playlist, prompted playlist will enable users to set “rules” for the generated content and can be scheduled to refresh daily or weekly, ensuring the music remains current, the company said.

The move follows Spotify’s announcement earlier this month to increase price of its monthly premium subscription plan by $1 to $12.99 in the United States, Estonia and Latvia markets beginning February.

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)