- YouTube Music is testing a new feature similar to Spotify’s AI DJ
- More and more users are gaining access and the initial reaction has been mixed.
- Beta testers have praised its musical trivia interjections and understated comments, but there’s still room for improvement.
YouTube Music is lagging behind other music streaming services when it comes to features like Spotify’s AI DJ, but it just started rolling out its own radio-style hack to beta testers as part of its YouTube Labs initiative.
At the moment, YouTube Labs is only available to a limited number of Premium beta testers in the US, and we don’t know when this program will be available in other markets. However, more and more users are starting to get their hands on YouTube Music’s AI host, and despite the disdain for AI music streaming features in general, reactions have been quite positive.
When Spotify launched AI DJ in 2023, it sparked a lot of debate about the presence of AI in music streaming, but it was also criticized, especially for its lack of new music recommendations and discordant voiceovers. I was one of those critics, but I was encouraged when Spotify introduced its song request feature. As for YouTube Music, it’s a two-voice host rather than a DJ, but it has a similar effect.
Instead of existing as a separate entity in the YouTube Music app, the AI DJ icon appears next to the “thumbs up/down” buttons on the playback screen when listening to radio and mixing. It’s still in its infancy, but users are already getting their ideas together.
Good news for trivia nerds
The main difference between YouTube Music’s AI Presenter and Spotify’s AI DJ is that it offers “relevant stories, fan trivia, and fun commentary” in your listening session, while Spotify’s AI DJ simply presents the next segment of songs. Instead of jumping from song to song, YouTube Music’s AI host injects musical trivia into the voiceover, which music nerds love.
The most common frustration is its failed attempts at cheesy humor and apparently there are some factual inaccuracies as well (which YouTube has addressed). Others simply hate the concept in general, with Reddit user ‘ptrckl_’ stating: “I just want to listen to my music.” But overall, most reviewers have expressed appreciation for the incorporation of integrated music data into their streaming experience.
While users complained that Spotify AI DJ was invasive, the opposite is said about YouTube Music’s AI host. Instead, some have given him credit for his natural interjections and understated comments. The voices themselves have also been praised, but seem to be more in favor of the female presenter than the male presenter.
YouTube Music’s answer to Spotify’s AI DJ is far from perfect and is still a beta experiment. But with a few tweaks here and there it could emerge as one of the best features of the music streamer. Based on early reactions from test users, there is hope that the service will venture into AI-based experiences, as long as YouTube listens to user feedback.
Room for improvement
Although the new YouTube Music feature has largely worked well, it is not the most important feature that users have been asking for.
In addition to other basic features like searching within playlists and volume normalization, some have noted that YouTube has yet to introduce a “liked songs” library, a simple feature on other major platforms.
Not only does YouTube Music seemingly ignore users’ small requests, but it appears its competitor AI DJ can’t be disabled permanently, at least for now.
Still, among these common frustrations is a surprising groundswell of support for YouTube Music’s AI host, particularly his comments, so hopefully a refined version will eventually get a wider release.
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