At Toronto’s Elevate Festival, Spotify used the platform to show off new capabilities that let users guide how music, podcasts, and audio stories reach them.
During his presentation, David Nyhan, Product Director for Personalization at Spotify, explained how the platform is expanding features that let people tailor what they hear in meaningful ways. He described how tools like DJ mode and an AI Playlist feature are designed not just to suggest content, but to respond to what each user wants in the moment.
One of Spotify’s more personal features is DJ. Now available in more than sixty markets, DJ acts like a personalized audio host who introduces songs and artists based on your taste. Since May, Spotify has added real time request support to DJ so listeners can voice what they want to hear next.
Spotify is also rolling out its AI Playlist feature. This lets listeners turn ideas or moments, such as “chill evening” or “road trip” vibes, into playlists that match mood or context. The company continues to build features that allow users to exclude content that doesn’t match their taste profile, to hide specific tracks, or to snooze them temporarily.
Additionally Spotify has integrated music discovery into ChatGPT. Users can ask the AI assistant to find new songs, artists, or playlists using simple conversation, an example being “Play something relaxing for my Sunday brunch” or “Show me new artists from Montréal.”
Spotify emphasizes that behind all this technology there is human curation. Editors, storytellers, and culture specialists still shape the direction of user experiences to keep them fresh, diverse, and rooted in real cultural context. Nyhan described technology as a partner to creativity rather than a replacement.
As Spotify gears up for broader rollout of its new tools, the company aims to deepen its relationship with listeners, offering control, discovery, and personalization without sacrificing freedom
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