AI Playlists Are Revolutionizing Music Streaming: Is Apple Music About to Catch Up?

AI is transforming the music streaming landscape, and playlists are no exception.

Streaming services are increasingly using AI to craft personalized listening experiences, and Apple Music may soon enter this space.

Apple Music Rumors Hint at AI Innovation

While Apple Music already curates "For You" playlists using AI, it lacks prompt-based playlist creation. According to MacRumors, rumors suggest Apple is developing AI-driven features for iOS 27, potentially bringing native AI playlist functionality to the platform.

Currently, ChatGPT can integrate with Apple Music to generate playlists, but personalization is limited since it cannot access listening history. A native AI playlist feature would bring Apple Music in line with Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon, meeting growing user expectations for prompt-based music discovery.

Just last time, Apple Music intensified the crackdown on fraudulent streaming. This includes boosting chart performance through manipulation methods.

YouTube Music Brings AI Playlists to Premium Users

This week, YouTube Music launched a new AI playlist feature for Premium subscribers. Users can turn a mood, genre, or simple phrase into a fully customized playlist. Through the Library section, listeners can type suggestions like a favorite artist, emotion, or activity, and YouTube Music generates a playlist tailored to their input.

Spotify Expands Prompted Playlists

Spotify has taken AI playlists further with its "Prompted Playlist" feature, expanded in January. Premium users can describe exactly what they want to hear, and Spotify's AI draws on listening history, current trends, and chart data to deliver personalized playlists.

Requests can range from "my top artists from the last five years" to activity-specific mixes such as "high-energy pop and hip-hop for a 30-minute run with a cool-down section." Users can refine prompts and schedule playlists to refresh daily or weekly, offering dynamic music discovery.

Amazon Music's Maestro Delivers Creative Control

Amazon Music has offered AI playlist creation since 2024 with Maestro, allowing users to build playlists using text prompts and even emojis. Like YouTube Music and Spotify, Maestro generates playlists for virtually any mood, activity, or scenario, giving listeners flexible creative control over their music experience.