During a recent earnings conference call, Spotify's Chief Product and Technology Officer Gustav Söderström revealed that with the development of artificial intelligence technology, the future user experience on Spotify will become more "interactive." He mentioned that Spotify is exploring how to use generative AI to create a more conversational voice interface, allowing users to interact with the platform in a more natural way.
Söderström said that Spotify's voice assistant can already allow users to request music using simple English. Through such interactions, Spotify can collect new datasets that show which phrases are associated with which songs. This data is not only based on song recommendations but also includes users' voice requests and listening history, providing Spotify with new insights.
Image source note: The image is AI-generated
He further explained that this method of data collection is unique and valuable for Spotify, driving product improvements. Users can not only request to play music, podcasts, or audiobooks through voice commands, but in the future, there may be more complex interactions. For example, AI will be able to "reason" about users' preferences, offering more personalized recommendations, rather than simply predicting based on users' past listening history.
Spotify is not limited to improving user experience. Söderström also mentioned that Spotify is using generative AI internally to accelerate product prototyping and improve efficiency in multiple areas such as finance. Although Spotify reached 276 million paying users in the latest quarter, an increase of 12% year-over-year, and monthly active users reached 696 million, the company reported a loss due to not meeting expected revenue targets, causing its stock price to drop by 10%.
Spotify is actively exploring the potential of AI technology to enhance user experience and internal efficiency, marking further innovation and development in its digital music platform.