Spotify’s new beta feature puts you in charge of its algorithm

Spotify is introducing an experimental new feature for Premium users that lets them take control of the algorithm and the broader listening experience on the service. Called “Prompted Playlist,” the feature lets you describe what you want to hear in natural language. It taps into your entire listening history on Spotify to create personalized playlists that not only reflect your current tastes but also what you liked from day one of joining the service.

While you can already use AI chatbots like ChatGPT to generate personalized music recommendations, Prompted Playlist takes this a step further and is baked directly into Spotify for better results. For instance, you can ask for “music from my top artists for the last ten years,” or more complex and customized playlists by saying something like, “high-energy pop and hip-hop for a 30-minute 5K run that keeps a steady pace before easing into relaxing songs for a cool-down.”

You can even edit your prompts to further fine-tune the results, and if you’re all out of prompt ideas, you can choose from a list of pre-made prompts from the “Ideas” section for some inspiration.

Every song recommendation using Prompted Playlist comes with a description explaining why it was recommended. Moreover, these playlists can be set to refresh daily or weekly.

Prompted Playlist is currently available only to Premium users, in English, and exclusively in New Zealand. It could roll out more widely starting next year, but Spotify hasn’t shared any plans about that just yet.