I thought I would hate Spotify's AI DJ. Turns out, I don't

"Generative AI" is probably the hottest topic out there right now. Spotify's take on it should be envied.

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Let’s jump right into it.

Spotify launched its ✨ artificially intelligent ✨ DJ this February. Somehow, it’s remained pretty under the radar. At least, I haven’t heard anyone talking about it even as I find myself gravitating toward it more and more.

I tend to be on the skeptical side of AI. (We’ve all seen Wall-E, right?) But if there’s one way to woo me over, it’s with new music recommendations.

I love how personalized Spotify has become since I first started using the music streaming app in 2014. As someone who listened to almost 56,000 minutes worth of music last year, according to my Spotify Wrapped, I spend a lot of time listening to old favorites while also discovering new ones.

I get bored of albums and artists pretty quickly, so I’m always shuffling through Discover Weekly, Hot Hits, On Repeat, and other customized mixes.

What I really like about the AI DJ is that it got rid of an extra step for me. I don’t have to change to a new playlist if I’m bored because the bot splits your listening sessions into segments.

Sometimes it’ll feature music from a single artist, genre, or vibe, and other times it will bounce back to music you were listening to during a specific year. (2016? Rough.) It even provides context to what was happening in the world at the time. And if you’re sick of your current tracks, you just press the DJ button and voilà! A new set.

Sure, it can be a little glitchy sometimes. I’ve had my songs abruptly cut off or had the same tunes play over and over again. The realistically humanoid voice of the DJ can also be a bit disturbing at times. The bot uses OpenAI to help it, which is a rabbit hole in itself.

Spotify says that this product is “building on … innovation by harnessing the power of AI in an entirely new way.” In my opinion, Spotify has understood the generative artificial intelligence assignment. They had a goal, and they executed it.

A common view point right now is that rather than being a replacement, AI is meant to be assistive. I’m starting to get behind that idea. Spotify’s DJ lets my personalized algorithm do most of the work while playing to the strengths of thematic discovery. Somehow, it’s just the right amount of intrusive.

So, yes. Maybe in this instance, I back the bot.

My weekly roundup:

🎶 What I’m Listening To: Sunburn by Dominic Fike…and Spotify DJ, duh

🎞️ What I’m (Re)Watching: Gossip Girl (S3E11, IYKYK)

🔎 What I’m Reading: “The Toll” by Neal Shusterman, which also happens to be relevant to the AI conversation right now

📱 What I’m Scrolling: The Atlantic’s Instagram – every post is poignant and well thought out