YouTube Music has introduced a new tool that allows users to generate playlists using natural language queries. Spotted back in June, the artificial intelligence (AI) powered “Ask for Music” feature has now started rolling out more widely after being tested over the past few months.
Officially dubbed “Ask Music”, the new playlist creator appears in the YouTube Music app as an eye-catching purple and pink card promoting its introduction. It works by letting people describe the type of music they wish to hear through simple prompts. Some examples given include asking for “energetic KPOP” which then results in a radio station being made with that name.
The rollout of “Ask Music” seems to be primarily targeted at users with a YouTube Premium subscription for now according to tech sites. This suggests free accounts may not be able to leverage its playlist generating abilities or it could be limited to certain regions. Reports indicate availability is currently limited to English-speaking markets like the US, Canada, and Australia on Android devices.
After confirming tests in July, Google is pushing the feature out further as planned. YouTube’s take is relative to similar tools from competitors such as Spotify’s playlist creation aid, which set the precedent in leveraging AI for personalized mixes. Access expansion will give more people chances to compare the options.
