YouTube is adding new artificial intelligence features to YouTube Music. The company says the tools are meant to help listeners find music, learn about artists, and discover podcasts they might otherwise miss.
The updates were announced at this year's Made On YouTube event. YouTube is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
The two main features are called Ask Music and Your Podcast Lineup. One focuses on music discovery, while the other is built for podcasts.
How Ask Music Works
Ask Music is a conversational tool built directly into the YouTube Music app. It lets users describe what they want to hear in everyday language instead of searching for single songs or artists.
YouTube says users can type a request the same way they would ask a friend. The tool then responds based on what the listener asks for.
The feature works across YouTube Music's catalog of more than 300 million songs. That includes official recordings, remixes, live performances, covers, and DJ sets.
Users can use Ask Music to build custom listening queues. They can also explore an artist's motivations or dig deeper into music history.
For example, a listener could ask the tool to create a mix based on the songs that inspired a certain track. Users can also ask questions such as who played bass on a song or how it was made.
A New Way to Find Podcasts
The second feature, Your Podcast Lineup, is a personalized audio guide created by AI. It is designed to help listeners find new podcasts.
YouTube says the feature addresses a common problem. There are more podcasts than most people have time to hear, and even fans with favorite shows can struggle to keep up with new episodes.
Your Podcast Lineup will appear on the podcast page in the YouTube Music app. Each week, it will give a short spoken preview of recommended shows.
The guide will explain why each show might appeal to the listener. It can then move straight into suggested episodes.
Spotify recently launched an AI feature that takes a similar approach. Its personal podcasts feature uses AI to create podcast episodes based on a user's interests and prompts.
The new tools are part of a wider effort by YouTube to use AI across its services. Last year, YouTube Music tested AI-powered hosts that shared stories, fan trivia, and commentary about the music people were playing.
YouTube has not given an exact launch date for Ask Music or Your Podcast Lineup. The company says both features are coming soon to YouTube Music and YouTube Premium subscribers worldwide.
