Google has introduced two new artificial intelligence features for YouTube Music at its “Made On YouTube” event. With the conversational tool “Ask Music” and the personalized audio guide “Your Podcast Lineup,” users are meant to discover music and podcasts more purposefully.
Conversational Music Search Instead of Keyword Queries
The “Ask Music” feature is being integrated directly into the YouTube Music app. Instead of rigid search queries like song titles or band names, users can express their requests in everyday conversational language. According to the company, the service taps into a catalog of more than 300 million tracks, including official recordings, remixes, live recordings, covers, and DJ sets.
The tool can curate custom playlists or answer background questions about music history. As examples, Google highlights creating a mix of tracks that inspired a specific song, or answering questions about music production details—such as who played bass on a particular recording.
Weekly Audio Previews for Podcasts
With “Your Podcast Lineup,” the platform is also introducing an automated discovery tool for podcast listeners. Appearing in the podcast section of the YouTube Music app, the feature is designed to cut through the growing glut of shows. Each week, the AI generates a brief, spoken audio preview of recommended shows, explains why they might interest the listener, and seamlessly transitions directly into the respective episodes upon request.
Context and Availability
These additions fit into Google’s broader push to weave AI capabilities into its existing platforms. Last year, YouTube Music already experimented with AI-generated hosts that provided trivia and anecdotes about currently playing tracks. Competitor Spotify has taken similar approaches, utilizing AI to generate individual podcast episodes tailored to user interests and prompts.
According to the announcement, both tools will soon roll out globally to YouTube Music and YouTube Premium subscribers.
Sources: Techcrunch.com
