SPOTIFY is no longer limited to curating playlists for users based on their preferences and listening history. 

It now provides users with their personal DJ that will choose what to play based on their music tastes and even provide commentary “in a stunningly realistic voice.”

Basically, it’s a personalized DJ in their pockets.

This feature is first rolling out in beta, or the version for testing, according to Spotify. It is initially available in English for Spotify Premium users in the U.S. and Canada. 

This DJ is a personalized artificial intelligence guide that Spotify said knows users’ music taste so well that it could produce a curated list of songs and artists they will love, it said.  

“It will sort through the latest music and look back at some of your old favorites—maybe even resurfacing that song you haven’t listened to for years,” it said. 

This DJ will review the music users enjoy and deliver their selected songs. It said it would refresh the lineup based on the users’ feedback. 

Interacting with the DJ will lead to better recommendations. 

“If you’re not feeling the vibe, just tap the DJ button and it will switch it up. The more you listen and tell the DJ what you like (and don’t like!), the better its recommendations get. Think of it as the very best of Spotify’s personalization—but as an AI DJ in your pocket,” the music streaming service said.

Why does the DJ know me so well?  

Spotify said the DJ would also use its extensive knowledge of the user’s preferences to scan the latest releases it knows users will like. 

It could also bring back the nostalgic playlist of the songs they kept going back to in the last year. 

This personal listening experience is due to Spotify’s personalization technology, which recommends content based on what it knows about users’ preferences and its use of Generative AI through OpenAI technology.

It said the AI technology its editors use offers facts about the music, the artists, and the genres the users are listening to.  

“We have experts in genres who know music and culture inside and out. And no one knows the music scene better than they do. With this generative AI tooling, our editors are able to scale their innate knowledge in ways never before possible,” it said. 

Whose voice is that?

Since the DJ has to speak, Spotify uses its AI voice platform Sonantic to produce realistic voices from the text.

Its Head of Cultural Partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan, served as the first model for the voice of the DJ. 

Jerniggan was also one of the hosts of Spotify’s first morning show. 

Where’s the DJ?

Spotify users in areas where this feature is available may find the DJ in their music feed on Home in the Spotify mobile app.

They would just need to tap play on the DJ card and wait for it to provide them with the music best suited to their taste, along with a short commentary on the songs and artists.

But if the music isn’t to their liking, they can tap the DJ button at the bottom of the screen to get a different genre, artist, or mood.