Before the days of streaming music and downloadable MP3s, the primary way to find new music was through the radio. One of the central aspects of the radio music experience is the DJ, who chooses the music and provides commentary. Now, Spotify is recreating the role, personalized for you, with AI.
In a press release, the music streaming behemoth announced “DJ,” an AI-powered song recommendation engine that also provides voice commentary, just like the human voice on the radio. The company claims that DJ can analyze your music tastes and choose what songs to play for you. Additionally, DJ features an AI-generated voice that will tell you factoids about new tracks, explain why it’s recommending music, and provide other comments. Spotify states that DJ combines the power of the company’s personalization technology, generative AI, and dynamic voice AI the company gained through its recent Sonantic acquisition.
The voice model for DJ is Spotify’s Head of Cultural Partnership, Xavier “X” Jernigan, who has previous experience as a DJ of sorts as host of Spotify’s morning podcast show, The Get Up. Jernigan’s voice was popular among listeners, making him the ideal choice for the first DJ voice model.
DJ has already started rolling out Spotify Premium users in the United States and Canada. Head to your Music feed and tap the DJ card; the new feature will begin playing recommended songs and commentary for you. When you want to shift the mood or try something different, tap the same card until you find something you like.
Source: Spotify Newsroom