When an idea starts to be imitated by other brands, it often means that it has shown sufficient appeal and market potential. Just at the end of last month, Spotify launched a new “Recommended Playlist” feature, allowing users to create personalized playlists in a more intuitive and creative way, and redefining the way people explore music. This feature caused widespread discussion when it was launched, and apparently other platforms are feeling the pressure.
YouTube Music borrows one of Spotify’s best features to better recommend playlists for users
To say YouTube was inspired might be an understatement. Now, YouTube has also officially announced the launch of its own AI playlist function, showing that this trend of “AI-generated playlists” has become a new battlefield for major streaming platforms. YouTube chose to announce this news first through the X platform, allowing users and those who follow technology trends to get a first look at the prototype of this new feature.
YouTube Premium and @YouTubeMusic Premium users can now instantly turn an idea, mood or genre into a personalized playlist using our new AI playlist feature 🎧
Here’s how to use it:
1. On Android & iOS, tap the “New” button in the Library tab of YouTube Music
2. Select “AI… pic.twitter.com/YR1GVCqwvu— Updates From YouTube (@UpdatesFromYT) February 9, 2026
However, users who want to experience it immediately may have to hold back their excitement first. YouTube’s AI playlists are currently only available to Premium members and are not fully available. Judging from the current information, the usage method is quite similar to Spotify’s AI playlist: users only need to enter prompts, and the system will automatically generate a new playlist based on the description. Unfortunately, YouTube hasn’t released any more details yet, and the feature itself still seems to be in its early stages and fairly limited in what it can do.
The current version looks more like a trial version of basic functionality than a full experience. There seems to be no way for users to further edit or fine-tune the AI-generated playlist, not even to reorder the songs or replace tracks. If you want to try it yourself, just open the YouTube Music App, click “New”, then select “AI Playlist”, and finally enter the prompts you want. However, whether it can generate a playlist that meets expectations may depend on luck and AI’s understanding.
It is worth noting that YouTube has already provided another feature called “Ask Music”, which allows Premium members to request AI to create playlists through voice or text. Therefore, many people have also begun to wonder: How is the AI playlist launched this time different from the existing Ask Music? Judging from the current public information, both seem to be able to generate playlists based on prompts, and their functional positioning is quite close. It is still unknown whether the interface is different, the generation logic is different, or whether YouTube intends to integrate the two or separate usage scenarios.
Before more details are released, we can only speculate that this may be an early version that YouTube is testing, and there will be opportunities to add more interactivity and customization options in the future, such as adjusting music styles, replacing songs, automatically updating based on mood or activities, etc. After all, with the rapid evolution of AI technology, the competition between streaming platforms is no longer just about the size of the music library, but who can provide a music experience that is smarter and closer to user needs.
In any case, YouTube’s entry into this AI playlist competition will undoubtedly make the market more lively. It remains to be seen whether it can catch up with or even surpass Spotify in terms of functional maturity and user experience. For users who enjoy exploring new music, this competition may ultimately lead to more innovation, better tools, and a more personal musical journey.
Source: KOCPC Chinese