Amazon Music’s new Maestro AI tool creates playlists based on text prompts

Amazon Music on Tuesday launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered feature that creates playlists based on text prompts. The feature, called Maestro, is currently in beta and rolling out to a limited number of users in the United States. Amazon says the feature is available to users of all levels of the Amazon Music mobile app, including the free tier. Maestro, the conversational AI, also understands emojis, so users can enter a series of emojis into a prompt and it will still create a relevant playlist. Notably, this development comes a week after Spotify launched a beta version of its own AI playlist generator.

The announcement was made through postal in Amazon’s newsroom. The company said: “Today, Amazon Music announced a new feature that uses artificial intelligence technology to make it easier and more fun to build the playlists you want on the go. Meet Maestro: An AI A playlist generator that helps you create any playlist you can think of, and all the playlists you can imagine.”

Maestro is an AI-powered chatbot and is a conversational AI, meaning it can understand and complete tasks given in natural language. According to Amazon, users can enter a short description of what they are looking for, or provide as detailed a prompt as they wish. Amazon Music listeners can also use emojis to express what they’re looking for. Emojis can be used alone or in combination with text. Maestro also accepts verbal prompts. Amazon says good prompts should include emojis, emotions, activities and sounds.

Although Amazon Music is making the feature available to beta testers, it stressed that Maestro is not yet a finished project. The company warns that the AI ​​may not always get the playlist right the first time, and users should keep tinkering to find the right prompts to get the songs they’re looking for. In addition, the company has implemented systems that proactively block offensive language and inappropriate prompts. Users can share feedback with the company if they encounter any behavior that could ruin the experience for everyone.

Beta users can find the feature on the home screen of the mobile app. It is also located inside the plus icon and allows users to create new playlists. This feature is available to select US users of Amazon Music’s free, Prime and Unlimited tiers on iOS and Android. Amazon didn’t specify a broader launch timeline for the feature, but said it plans to expand Maestro’s access to more customers over time. Prime members and free tier users can listen to a 30-second preview of their playlist before saving, while Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can listen to their playlist now and save it later.