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Spotify Tests an AI Feature That Lets You Control Your Recommendation Algorithm

Spotify's Prompted Playlist lets you describe the kind of music you want to hear, and its AI can then update the list with fresh recommendations on a daily or weekly basis.

 & Jibin Joseph Contributor

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Spotify is rolling out an AI-powered tool that lets its listeners control how its recommendation algorithm behaves. Called Prompted Playlist, the feature begins rolling out in beta to Premium subscribers in New Zealand this week.

You can find the Prompted Playlist option from the Create tab on mobile. Once in, describe the kind of music you'd like to hear in the prompt box with a description as broad or succinct as you'd like it to be. You can even take the help of the "Ideas" button for preset prompts.

After you're done, hit Generate Playlist and let Spotify's AI do the rest. To build the playlist, the feature factors in your prompt as well as your entire listening history, "all the way back to day one," Spotify says.

Each song on the playlist will have a note below it, describing why it was recommended. The custom playlist "reflects not only what you love today, but the full arc of your taste," Spotify says.

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While last year's AI Playlist feature does a similar job, Prompted Playlist goes one step further. It remembers your preferences and updates the playlist on a daily or weekly basis. You can choose the frequency and preferred day of the update while providing the prompt. You can also modify the prompt by tapping the "Edit prompt" button at the top of the playlist.

"For the first time, your ideas, your logic, and your creativity can actually power the Spotify algorithm, directing how it thinks, adapts, and responds to you," Spotify says.

The streamer's own editors and culture experts have placed a set of fun and inventive prompts on the home page. The feature will evolve and scale to more users in the future, the company adds.

(Credit: Spotify)

Instagram also rolled out a similar algorithm-modifying feature this week. A new button on the Reels feed lets you add or remove the topics you'd like to see more or less of.

Spotify, meanwhile, is also riding high on the popularity of its year-end recap, Wrapped 2025. It's Listening Age feature, in particular, become part of many online discussions.

About Our Expert

Jibin Joseph

Jibin Joseph

Contributor

Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.

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