Spotify is introducing Prompted Playlists, a new AI-powered tool for creating playlists, to its Premium subscribers in the United States and Canada. Originally tested in New Zealand, this feature enables users to generate a playlist simply by describing what they want to hear in their own words. Prompted Playlists expands upon an earlier AI playlist product launched in 2024, which accepted more straightforward prompts such as “get focused at work with instrumental electronica” or “get pumped up with fun, upbeat, and positive songs.”

In contrast, the new Prompted Playlists feature allows for more detailed, conversational explanations of what listeners are seeking. During a demonstration, for example, Spotify showcased a playlist generated from an extensive prompt: “Find me one artist I haven’t listened to yet, but would probably love, or an artist I’ve only heard one or two songs from, and introduce me to them. Build a playlist of songs that’ll give me an overview of their catalog so it feels like I’m getting to know them. Put the songs you think I’ll like the most in the top five spots.”

J.J. Italiano, Head of Global Music Curation and Discovery at Spotify, explains that the goal of this new feature is to empower anyone to build a playlist, regardless of their knowledge about music curation or specific terminology.

“For most people, playlist creation isn’t a part of their job. You don’t always have the time or the energy to keep building the perfect playlist every time your mood changes, and that’s where prompted playlists will come in,” said Italiano, whose team is behind popular Spotify playlists like Today’s Top Hits, New Music Friday, and Rap Caviar. “This gives listeners access to that creative process without needing to know genres, or years, or industry language. You don’t need the right words. You just need your words.”

“If you can describe a feeling, you can make a playlist,” he added. The AI driving this feature analyzes the music landscape in real time, considering “trends, charts, culture, and history,” along with each user’s complete listening history since joining Spotify. While playlists are personalized to their creator by default, users can also employ the tool to explore beyond their usual habits and receive different recommendations. They can specifically instruct the AI to ignore their personal listening history or request introductions to entirely new songs, as illustrated in the earlier example.

Prompts do not require any musical terminology. Users might, for instance, ask for a playlist inspired by the weather or a favorite television series. Since prompts are shareable, this feature could also give rise to a new type of creator—someone who designs AI prompts that others want to try. While the prompt text would remain the same for everyone, each user’s resulting playlist would differ, tailored to their individual tastes and listening history. Users can then further modify these playlists if they wish.

Spotify describes Prompted Playlists as the “next evolution” of its earlier AI playlist feature. This new version is more attuned to real-time music trends and culture, understands the full scope of a user’s listening behavior—not just recent activity—and offers greater control. However, the older AI playlist feature will remain available, meaning both products will coexist, which may cause some confusion given their similarities. Because the feature is still in beta, it will have certain usage limits, which could change over time. It is currently available only in English. The company has not specified when Prompted Playlists will reach global subscribers, noting that it plans to learn from these initial markets to guide future launches.