Spotify Expands 'Prompted Playlist' AI Feature to US and Canada for Premium Users

Spotify on Thursday rolled out “prompted playlist,” a new artificial intelligence-powered feature in the United States and Canada that lets premium users create and tailor playlists using their listening habits and written commands.

The expansion follows what Spotify described as a successful run in New Zealand and marks the latest in a string of AI-driven updates from the Swedish music streaming company as it tries to push more listeners from the free tier to paid subscriptions.

“Listeners don’t just want Spotify to understand them. They want to actively shape their own experience,” Molly Holder, Spotify’s Vice President of Product Personalisation, said during a media briefing.

Spotify positioned the feature as a shift in how its recommendation engine works for users. Instead of being passive recipients of algorithmic suggestions, premium subscribers can directly guide what the platform generates “using their own words and intentions,” the company said. Spotify added that the prompted playlist will allow users to set “rules” for the playlist content, offering more control than earlier AI-led experiences on the platform.

Unlike previous tools such as AI playlist, a prompted playlist can also be scheduled to refresh on a daily or weekly basis, which Spotify said will help keep the listening experience current as the algorithm updates the mix.

The launch comes shortly after Spotify announced earlier this month that it will raise the price of its monthly premium subscription plan by $1 to $12.99 in the United States, Estonia and Latvia starting February.

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