Spotify tests AI chat for music, podcasts and audiobooks

Spotify is testing an AI chat feature that lets Premium subscribers ask for music, podcasts and audiobooks through a conversational interface. The test matters because it brings a chatbot-style search and discovery tool into one of the world’s biggest audio apps.

Spotify calls the feature “Talk to Spotify,” according to the company. The tool appears in the Home tab and the Now Playing view of Spotify’s mobile app.

Users can enter requests in a text box, Spotify said. They can also tap a microphone icon and speak to the chatbot instead of typing.

The feature is designed to help users both play and explore audio, according to Spotify. That means the chatbot can be used for requests tied to listening rather than only for general information.

The Verge reported that Amazon Music introduced a comparable feature last year by adding Alexa Plus to its service. Spotify’s version is described as going beyond AI recommendations and general trivia because it can refer to a user’s own Spotify activity, including playlists.

The rollout is limited to Premium subscribers, according to Spotify. The company described the feature as an experiment, signaling that access and behavior may change as the test continues.

AI tools have become a more common part of music streaming products as services try to make search and recommendations feel less like browsing menus. With Talk to Spotify, the company is putting that approach directly on the app’s main screens, where users already start sessions and control playback.

This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.