YouTube Music has begun experimenting with AI-powered music hosts that share interesting stories, fan facts, and insights related to the songs you’re playing, according to an announcement made by the company on Friday.
This initiative follows Spotify’s introduction of its own AI DJ two years ago, which offers listeners a handpicked playlist along with AI-generated commentary about their favorite artists and tracks.
This latest addition to YouTube Music extends its ongoing work with conversational AI. Back in July, the platform introduced an AI conversational radio function, allowing listeners to generate personalized radio stations by simply describing their preferences.
Currently, YouTube Music’s AI hosts are available for testing through YouTube Labs, the company’s newly launched center for AI innovation. In a recent blog post, YouTube described Labs as “a fresh initiative focused on discovering what AI can do on YouTube.”
YouTube Labs operates much like Google Labs, Google’s experimental division where users can try out early AI features and share their feedback.
Anyone with a YouTube account can access YouTube Labs, so a Premium subscription isn’t required to participate. However, the company points out that only a select group of users in the U.S. will be able to join the trial at this time.
Recently, YouTube Labs has been rolling out various AI functionalities across the platform.
Earlier this month, YouTube introduced a range of AI tools for creators, such as GenAI features to assist with Shorts production. A few months prior, the platform debuted an AI-driven search results carousel, similar to Google’s AI Overviews, and broadened access to its conversational AI assistant to help users discover information, get content suggestions, and receive video summaries.
Despite YouTube’s push for more AI features, the company is also taking steps to address low-quality AI-generated content. The platform has recently revised its rules to limit creators’ ability to earn money from “inauthentic” material, including mass-produced and repetitive videos.
