AI DJ - Flash in the Pan or New Favourite Feature?

David Dawson

I, like many, have watched far too many movies and TV shows growing up to be completely comfortable with the idea of AI. It seems like out of nowhere this all singing and dancing technology is absolutely everywhere and seems to have a (terrifyingly) limitless amount of capability.
 
Of course, I’m not completely set in my ways – and I’m young enough, although I don’t always feel it, to be of a generation that has grown up with a reliance on tech and advancements. Whilst I do remember the crunching noise of dialling up the internet at home – it wouldn’t be long before I was sat in my room on a laptop clogging up the Wi-Fi watching music videos on YouTube.
 
One thing that caught my eye recently though is Spotify’s introduction of AI.
 
When thinking of the potential capabilities for such advanced tech Spotify would probably not be at the forefront of our minds, but realistically the company have been using some form of artificial intelligence for a little while now. I’ve written previously about the features on the streaming platform that utilise such capabilities including generating playlists based on your listening habits, the much loved ‘wrapped’ feature, and even the new shuffle feature that plays your playlist with a couple of juicy extras thrown in the mix for free.
 
I’ve always been a big fan of this and have complimented it in the past for introducing me to many of my most beloved songs of the recent years. After all, if they’re studying what I listen to and giving me similar suggestions chances are it’s going to suit my preferences pretty well.
 
This brings me on to my most recent listening habit – the radio. I must admit recently I’ve become tired of wearing out the poor forward skip button in my car, abusing it constantly as I churn through the same selection of 3000 songs on my absurdly large ‘everything’ playlist, 2996 of which I’m inevitably not in the mood to listen to at that moment in time. With this in mind I decided to free myself from this capability by removing the element of control and trusting my listening to a small rotation of radio stations.
 
Has it worked?
 
Not really. Radio stations are great as you never know what song is coming next and that keeps it interesting, except you do, and it isn’t. Anyone who listens to the radio for more than probably an hour is likely to hear one or two songs at least two or three times. Now I’m not blaming the stations for this. They have to play the favourites, the chart toppers, the trendy tunes of the moment, because that’s what the people want – and ultimately I’d be a bit annoyed if they didn’t. For me though it’s the repetition – it seems almost shameless the way a selection of about ten songs are earmarked at the start of the day and just cycled and recycled through until you’re sick to the back teeth of them, with only the very occasional surprise throwback or new release included. What makes this worse for me is that it actually kills some songs for me. A great example is Shaboozey’s ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ – a catchy and loveable tune that has been ruined for me just by the sheer frequency at which I’ve had to listen to it over the past month or so.
 
So why bother with radio? Well, for all my ranting and raving, I do enjoy it. As well as not having the element of control over the music, which is as much a curse as it is a blessing, I also like to listen to the DJs and presenters. I like the quirky quizzes, games, artist interviews and features. There’s something warm about it for me, like the difference between a CD and a vinyl – playlists can sometimes feel so cold, just churning out song after song, but with the radio there’s just that extra level of engagement, that extra element to enjoy.
 
Now, I know what you’re thinking – you started writing about AI, then Spotify, then ranted about the radio – so what are you actually getting at?
 
Well, Daft Punk are no longer the world's only robot DJs - as Spotify may have the answer for all of my prayers in their new AI DJ feature.
 
For those who are yet to play with this new toy – it is essentially an upgrade on the recommended listening or made for you playlists. The AI DJ looks at all your likes, listening habits, and even your listening habits from way back when, in order to bring you a selection of songs that you either love, have loved, or are likely to love. Where as the made for you playlists split these into moods or categories, the AI DJ, like a radio station, just cycles through them completely randomly and brings you a full and wide range of songs from all corners of your taste – bringing that element of surprise that the radio gives us (or at least should). It uses it's voiced AI DJ to introduce a theme, such as what you enjoyed in 2022, then plays you three or four songs before the DJ moves on - amazing!
 
The AI DJ's ability to talk does add to the whole experience. Now it hasn’t gone as far as celeb interviews, quizzes or games yet, but it does welcome you to the show at the start and introduces some of the songs really helping to give that authentic radio feel. It even calls you by your name, which to be honest feels both warming and creepy – it’s a nice personal touch but will take me some getting used to that’s for sure.
 
I must admit I’ve sat and listened a few times now and really enjoyed it – the mix and variety of music is exciting and interesting but ultimately it is based on my taste – so we may jump seamlessly from Chris Stapleton to Drake – but that’s fine because I like Chris Stapleton, and I like Drake – win win! This also means that I don’t get the repetition that drives me insane that I usually do when listening to popular radio.
 
So, is it a flash in the pan experiment or the birth of a much-loved feature? I’d like to think the latter. It’s already good, and I genuinely believe that as AI and the technology around it advances it will only get better and the experience will enhance. Maybe in the future more features will be enabled, such as more genre specific radio stations so you can narrow down your selection – and with this maybe the DJ’s will be able to offer juicy facts about some of the songs – they could even maybe have artists record song intros and get them to introduce their own songs. The potential, as with most AI, is vast and I’m looking forward to seeing what next steps they take with it.
 
So I’ll continue to enjoy Spotify’s employment of AI – even if I do have scenes from iRobot or Black Mirror playing through my mind every time someone mentions it to me! If you haven’t given the AI DJ feature a go yet I recommend you give it a try. Don’t get me wrong, it won’t change your life or anything, but I really do believe it can be the birth of a new and interesting way to listen and engage with music in a increasingly AI embedded world.