Earlier this year, Spotify released a new feature called “DJ” that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to select music alongside a virtual DJ giving occasional commentary. The feature was implemented earlier this February and is available to Spotify Premium users.

Developments in AI have increased exponentially with programs such as DALL·E and ChatGPT producing realistic and believable images and text. DJ uses AI to play music that aligns with a user’s tastes. The technology used to create the natural sounding voice came from Sonantic, a company that uses AI to produce realistic sounding voices. Sonantic was acquired by Spotify in June 2022. 

“Honestly, it’s pretty good,” Lambert Sophomore Jai Sistla said. “I also think it’s actually useful because I like to shuffle through playlists; it’s a kind of quality of life thing.”

DJ’s ability to mix in music that’s new to users is a large appeal to those wanting to push their listening boundaries. Unfortunately it doesn’t always work as intended.

“Sometimes it just randomly plays Megan Thee Stallion,” Jai added. 

AI’s rapid progression and ballooning popularity have led to a rise in new products, while not all products may be successful, Spotify’s DJ may be here to stay.

Spotify wants its AI DJ to become a cornerstone of its mobile experience, and maybe it’s too early to gauge the impact of AI in the music streaming industry, but DJ is an exciting look into the ever expanding world of AI.