Who isn’t familiar with this scenario? The morning alarm goes off after you hit the snooze button once, twice, then three times. The only thing that ultimately throws you out of bed is your favorite music — in many cases it is the popular one Music service provider Spotify.
So far, so commonplace.
But now Spotify is expanding its earcup offering — with one personalized disc jockeywho should know your taste in music better than your current life partner (or your neighbor, assuming a reasonable sound system).
Not only that: a charismatic voice breathes into your ear canals, maybe for that extra portion of power in your morning routine. But see (and hear!) how Spotify promotes it:
link to YouTube content
Beta testing in USA and Canada
Spotify is now testing its AI-powered music selection in select regions. This is initially aimed exclusively at premium users in the USA and Canada. It remains to be seen whether the offer will catch on and soon rattle over the headphones on the European continent.
The world’s first AI DJ?
Spotify not only makes a music selection tailored to your professional, but also accompanies the music tracks curated in this way with the voice of Xavier “X” Jernigan. Xavier is Head of Cultural Partnerships
on Spotify (in Europe: Head of the cultural partnership
).
Xavier does not speak your music recommendations personally; Here, too, an AI-supported model that generates Xavier’s objector comes into play. The technology behind it is based on OpenAIi.e. on the same AI that is currently causing a sensation, especially in the form of the ChatGPT language model:
How does it work?
The AI generates you a personalized playlist based on your music taste. Personalization is not a one-way street. Based on your feedback, the music selection will be adjusted even more precisely in the longer term.
And how? Simply by letting Spotify know within the app whether the AI-supported music selection has met your taste.
What do you get out of this?
So far we haven’t been able to listen to the new function ourselves. However, Spotify’s promo video above offers a synopsis of what the feature should sound like.
For example, the AI will suggest music to you based on what tracks you’ve recently played. So if you are currently – to pick out an outlandish example – the Europe trash band Modern Talking
Another conceivable scenario is that the DJ picks out a certain period from your listener biography and plays suitable songs. A wonderful feature for those who are finally over their heartache – and then unexpectedly re-traumatized by Spotify’s AI. Attention: irony!
Nonsense aside: The function reads to me after the well-known function Look at the pictures you took last year!
on the handset – with the difference that a moderator euphorically yodels into my ear. At the same time, I don’t want to prejudice the function, especially since it remains to be seen whether it will soon also be offered to Europe customers. But then there will be an official judgement.
Your personal DJ is called Xavier!
Spotify advertises Xavier’s engagement as world’s first AI DJ
. Even before his now burgeoning career as an AI disc jockey, Xavier was a frequently booked presenter for events. But Xavier was also responsible as a moderator for many Spotify podcasts (e.g The Window).
Anyone poaching through Xavier’s Instagram account will find selfies with all sorts of stars and starlets; Xavier asked them for an interview as part of his work for Spotify — including house numbers like Margot Robbie, Hans Zimmer and Brad Pitt.
Technology by Sonantic
Spotify uses Sonantic for the technology behind it. The company was bought by Spotify last year. has its beginnings Sonantic made as a London start-up.
Sonantic may be unknown to many, but many of you probably heard the sound of their work last summer in cinemas: Die The company made sure of this using artificial intelligencethat Val Kilmer in the hit sequel Top Gun: Maverick
speaks. Due to an illness, the actor was unable to speak himself.
How does the new Spotify feature sound to you? Do you wish that the function would be available to you in Europe-speaking countries? And is the AI-powered DJ a useful addition to green giant Spotify’s offerings — or is it a flash in the pan? Feel free to discuss it in our comments!
Sources: newsroom.spotify.com, lifewire.com, heise.de, stadt-bremerhaven.de
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