YouTube Music is testing AI music hosts that provide relevant stories, fan trivia, and commentary about what you are listening to. The company announced the new feature on Friday.
This move comes two years after Spotify launched its own AI DJ, which delivers a curated music selection alongside AI-powered spoken commentary about tracks and artists. YouTube Music’s new feature builds on its ongoing experiments with conversational AI. In July, the service rolled out a conversational radio feature that lets users create a custom station by describing what they want to hear.
These new AI hosts are currently being tested through YouTube Labs, which is the platform’s new hub for AI experiments. The company described YouTube Labs as a new initiative dedicated to exploring the potential of artificial intelligence on YouTube. This hub is similar to Google Labs, the experimental arm of Google that lets users test early-stage AI products and provide feedback.
YouTube Labs is open to all users and does not require a Premium membership to sign up. However, the company notes that access to the experimental program will be limited to a select number of participants based in the United States.
YouTube has been implementing various AI features across its platform recently. Earlier this month, the company released a series of AI tools for creators, including GenAI tools for Shorts creation. A few months ago, YouTube launched an AI-powered search results carousel similar to Google’s AI Overviews. It also expanded access to its conversational AI tool to help users find information, receive content recommendations, and get video summaries.
While YouTube is embracing these AI features, it is also cracking down on what it terms AI slop. The platform recently updated its policies to restrict creators from generating revenue from inauthentic content, including mass-produced and repetitive videos.