Spotify’s AI DJ is ready to spin tunes for the UK

Spotify’s music recommendations are about to get a lot more personal. The firm’s AI-powered DJ feature launched in the US and Canada earlier this year, and is finally gearing up to hit the UK and Ireland. Music lovers spoiled for choice by what’s already one of the best music streaming services on offer (even if the high resolution Hi-Fi tier is still missing in action) can let virtual DJ Xavier curate their tunes, as well as introduce upcoming tracks and pick deep cuts from their long-forgotten listening history.

Rolling out in beta today to Spotify Premium members, DJ can be found from the Spotify Home page. Tap Music at the top, then pick the DJ playlist. X will then cue up a mix, coming back every few tracks to mix it up with artists you might like, different genres and golden oldies you couldn’t get off repeat in the past. It’ll throw in facts about artists and songs, tie tunes into ongoing cultural events, and generally turn your playlists into an entirely bespoke radio station just for you.

A DJ button can bring him back earlier to change up the mix if you fancy something different. Apparently the more you listen and tell the DJ what slaps (and what doesn’t), the better the recommendations will get.

X was built from a combination of Spotify’s existing algorithms and input from the firm’s human playlist curators. The voice is based on Spotify head of cultural partnerships Xavier Jernigan, who recorded hundreds of lines of dialogue to train the AI.

According to Spotify, US listeners have spent a quarter of their listening time with DJ, and over half of first-time listeners end up coming back the next day.

It’ll be rolling out gradually to customers, so if you’re looking to mix up your music, make sure to keep your Spotify smartphone app up to date.

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