AI DJ is a personalized radio feature that plays music tailored to your listening history while a synthesized voice introduces tracks and provides context about artists. It launched in February 2023 for Premium subscribers and is now available in 50+ markets globally.
Think of it as a radio station that knows your taste, hosted by an AI that can explain why you might enjoy each song.
How AI DJ selects music
AI DJ does not use a separate algorithm. It draws on the same personalization engine that powers Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and your Home feed.
The system analyzes:
- Your recent listening history
- Tracks you have saved or added to playlists
- Songs you have skipped or replayed
- Artists you follow
- Time of day and listening context
Based on these signals, DJ builds a continuous stream of recommendations. It balances familiar favorites with new discoveries, pulling from recent releases and catalog tracks alike.
On days when users engage with AI DJ, they spend 25% of their listening time with the feature. Over 50% of first-time users return the next day.
The voice technology
The DJ voice is powered by technology from Sonantic, a voice synthesis company Spotify acquired in 2022. Sonantic's system creates realistic synthetic speech with natural pacing, emotion, and emphasis.
The initial DJ voice is modeled on Xavier "X" Jernigan, Spotify's Head of Cultural Partnerships and former podcast host. The voice sounds conversational, not robotic, because it captures nuances like projection and timing from the original recording sessions.
How commentary is generated
The spoken commentary is not fully automated. Spotify built a "Writers' Room" that combines:
- Music experts who understand artist context
- Data curators who track listening trends
- Scriptwriters who craft conversational language
- Generative AI that assembles and personalizes the output
This hybrid approach means the AI has access to accurate information about artists and can contextualize recommendations. When DJ says "this artist just dropped their first album in three years," that fact has been verified by human editors, not hallucinated by a language model.
What this means for artists
AI DJ creates a new discovery surface, but it is not a separate algorithmic pathway you can optimize for. The same signals that drive other personalized playlists drive DJ.
How AI DJ helps discovery:
- Commentary gives context that encourages listeners to stick with unfamiliar tracks
- Research shows listeners are more willing to try something new when they understand why it was recommended
- The "skip to next vibe" button means engaged listeners can quickly find your genre without skipping individual tracks
How AI DJ reinforces existing patterns:
- DJ leans heavily on tracks users already know
- Critics note it is less adventurous than Discover Weekly, often recycling familiar artists rather than surfacing unknowns
- The personalization creates a tighter feedback loop that can reduce exposure to genuinely new music
For emerging artists, AI DJ is unlikely to be your breakthrough moment. It is better suited to keeping existing fans engaged than introducing you to cold audiences. The tracks that perform well on DJ are typically those that already have strong engagement signals elsewhere.
How to access AI DJ
- Open the Spotify mobile app (Premium required)
- Go to the Music feed
- Look for the DJ card, or search for "DJ" and tap Play
- Tap the DJ button during playback to change genres or moods