YouTube Music is testing a new feature that could rival Spotify’s AI DJ
It could change how you listen, turning playlists into mini radio shows with trivia, stories, and commentary layered between songs.
YouTube Music doesn’t just want to play your favourite tracks anymore; it may soon start talking to you about them. The platform is testing what it calls “music hosts designed to deepen your listening experience by sharing stories, fan trivia, and fun commentary.”
If you’ve ever imagined a playlist that drops little snippets about each track between songs, like a DJ who never runs out of things to say, that’s the idea behind YouTube’s new music AI host experiment.
It's very similar to what Spotify tried back in 2023 with its DJ feature, which mixed curated playlists with a synthetic voice. YouTube’s version could go further, building on its “AI radio” tool launched in July, where you could type a mood, say, sunset vibes with a touch of Afrobeats, and get a playlist instantly.
Emmanuel Umahi
For now, the experiment sits inside YouTube Labs, the company’s hub for early features (previously the youtube.com/new page where Premium users tested betas). Only a limited number of U.S. listeners can try it at the moment, and if you’re part of that group, you might notice a new button on the Now Playing screen beside the thumbs up/down icons.
Google has been experimenting with this format elsewhere, too. Its NotebookLM app already uses synthetic voices to narrate summaries, so YouTube may simply be extending that idea to music. And it fits into a broader shift: this year, YouTube has leaned heavily into AI tools like Shorts remix features and generative search, while also tightening its rules on repetitive uploads. The message seems to be, "more innovation where it adds value, less noise where it doesn’t."
Whether this experiment sticks depends on how listeners respond. You might enjoy hearing trivia and stories alongside your favourite tracks, or you might mute it after a few minutes. Spotify’s DJ has its loyalists, but many still prefer uninterrupted playlists.
For YouTube, the bet is that the future of streaming could be shaped not only by what you play, but also by what you learn and feel while listening. If that resonates, music streaming may start to feel less passive and more like spending time with a friend who knows the music inside out.
Emmanuel Umahi
