Spotify is continuing its push into AI-powered discovery with a significant upgrade to its “Prompted Playlists” feature — and it’s no longer just about music.

The streaming giant has expanded its AI playlist tool to include podcasts, allowing users to generate personalised listening experiences across both music and spoken-word content.

What Are Spotify Prompted Playlists?

Spotify’s Prompted Playlists are an AI-driven feature that lets users create playlists simply by describing what they want to hear.

Instead of manually building playlists, users can type prompts like:

  • “Relaxing Sunday morning music with light podcasts”
  • “Motivational business podcasts mixed with upbeat tracks”
  • “True crime podcasts and dark ambient music”

The system then generates a custom playlist based on that request, using a combination of listening history, trends, and AI understanding.

This feature builds on Spotify’s broader AI strategy, which focuses heavily on personalisation and user control over recommendations.

Now Includes Podcasts, Not Just Music

Previously, Prompted Playlists were limited to music. With this update, Spotify is blending podcasts into AI-generated playlists, creating a more dynamic and personalised listening experience.

This means users can now:

  • Mix podcasts and songs in a single playlist
  • Discover new podcast episodes based on mood or topic
  • Combine entertainment and information seamlessly

The move reflects how Spotify is evolving beyond a music platform into a full audio ecosystem.

How Spotify’s AI Playlist Feature Works

Spotify’s AI system uses several layers of data to build these playlists:

  • Your full listening history
  • Real-time music and podcast trends
  • Contextual understanding of your prompt
  • Ongoing updates to keep playlists fresh

Users can also refine their playlists by editing prompts or setting them to refresh daily or weekly.

In short, it’s less like building a playlist — and more like talking to an AI DJ.

Why This Matters for Music and Podcast Discovery

This update is bigger than it looks.

By combining music and podcasts into a single AI-driven experience, Spotify is:

  • Increasing engagement across its platform
  • Encouraging users to explore podcasts more easily
  • Strengthening its position against competitors like Apple and YouTube
  • Moving closer to a fully personalised “audio feed”

Spotify has already made it clear that personalisation is central to its strategy, with over 80% of users citing it as a key reason they use the platform.

The Bigger Picture: Spotify’s AI Strategy

Prompted Playlists are part of a wider shift toward AI-first music and content discovery.

Instead of relying purely on algorithms in the background, Spotify is now letting users actively shape recommendations using natural language.

This represents a major shift:

  • From passive listening → to interactive discovery
  • From fixed playlists → to dynamic, evolving content
  • From music-only → to multi-format audio experiences

Final Thoughts

Spotify’s expansion of Prompted Playlists to include podcasts is a smart move — and likely just the beginning.

As AI becomes more integrated into streaming platforms, the line between music, podcasts, and other audio formats will continue to blur.

And if Spotify gets this right, the future of listening won’t be about choosing what to play…

It’ll be about simply describing what you want — and letting AI handle the rest.