I tried Spotify's new upgrade and it's a game-changer for playlists

There are no skips with this latest feature

Spotify AI Playlists
(Image credit: Spotify)

In times gone by there used to be nothing more romantic (or awkward) than creating someone a mixtape, and then Spotify happened and now hopeless romantics everywhere make playlists for the apple of their eye. Well now, that gesture just got a lot less grand, with Spotify's new AI-generated playlists. 

I'm normally a bit sceptical of AI features, Spotfy's AI DJ is just a bit cringe if you ask me, but this latest one seems to be playing all the right notes. Just added in beta form for UK and Australian subscribers, you can enter a chatGPT style prompt and in seconds get a playlist to match the subject.

To test its knowledge and song selections, I used my co-worker Sam as a Guinea Pig. I gave the prompt "Sam is a 27-year-old guy who works at a tech company. He has tattoos and likes nice watches. Make a playlist for him." 

It came back almost instantly with a playlist brilliantly dubbed "Tech, Tattoos & Timepieces" and featured a large number of songs he knew and loved. Terrifying yes, but also great if you want to impress someone at a party. 

Spotify AI Playlists

(Image credit: Spotify)

Of course, it's not just capable of creating playlists for specific people, but also for moods, or occasions. You can ask for a "Soundtrack to a summer party" for example and then be free to go and mingle, knowing the AI will play some suitable stuff. 

You can even go more abstract with it. Ever the playful sort, I typed in "Smelly old shoes" and was met with failure, but then asking for "Songs like smelly old shoes" I was treated to a playlist "inspired by the essence of 'Smelly Old Shoes". This was a ten-track grunge-based playlist, so not far off. 

After creating a playlist, you can then refine it with further instructions like "make it more upbeat" to capture the mood perfectly or just tap create and it will save automatically to your library. 

Of course, we want lossless audio more, but features like these are fun. 

Andy Sansom
Staff Writer

Andy is T3's Tech Staff Writer, covering all things technology, including his biggest passions such as gaming, AI, phones, and basically anything cool and expensive he can get his hands on. If he had to save one possession from a fire it would be his PlayStation 5. He previously worked for Tom’s Guide - where he got paid to play with ChatGPT every day. When it comes to streaming, Andy will have his headphones glued in whilst watching something that will make him laugh. He studied Creative Writing at university, but also enjoys supporting his favourite football team (Liverpool), watching F1, teaching himself guitar, and spending time with his dog.