Google launches YouTube Music AI feature that can create playlist based on your mood: Here’s how it works

Google has launched an AI Playlist feature for YouTube Music. With this new AI feature, YouTube Music users can generate custom playlists based on their mood, genre, or musical preferences.

The feature is now rolling out to YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium subscribers on Android and iOS devices. Users can access the tool via the Library tab by tapping New, then selecting AI Playlist. The feature accepts both text and voice prompts, allowing subscribers to describe what they want to hear and letting the application create a corresponding playlist. A Gemini logo appears next to the feature, though Google's chatbot is not explicitly named in the announcement.The YouTube team confirmed the rollout in a post on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter), making it the latest addition to Google's expanding AI integration across its product ecosystem. The feature joins other recent AI implementations, including conversational capabilities in Google Translate and a Gemini integration being developed for Google Maps.In its X post, the company wrote: “YouTube Premium and @YouTubeMusic Premium users can now instantly turn an idea, mood or genre into a personalised playlist using our new AI playlist feature 🎧 Here's how to use it:1. On Android & iOS, tap the “New” button in the Library tab of YouTube Music2. Select “AI Playlist"3. Use your voice or text to explain the type of music you’d like in your playlist”

YouTube Music’s new AI playlist features: How it works

The AI Playlist feature uses Google's Gemini models and YouTube's catalogue to interpret concepts like specific moods or genres.

The system appears to combine metadata, artist networks, and user preferences to generate playlists. YouTube has not disclosed the complete process, and the model continues to learn which prompts produce satisfying results.YouTube reports that recommendations drive over 70% of watch time on its main platform. AI prompting enables users to quickly articulate mood or intent and access curated results directly.

The feature reduces the effort of manual playlist building and enables users to create highly specific themes for refinement.However, Google is restricting the feature to paid subscribers. To demonstrate where it sees value, the company has placed background listening and some lyric features behind paywalls. YouTube said earlier this year that it now has over 100 million subscribers worldwide, including YouTube Music and YouTube Premium.

New AI tools are intended to maintain that growth.Spotify, a competitor of YouTube Music, recently tested AI playlists that react to text cues in a few markets and unveiled an AI DJ. Maestro, a prompt-based playlist generator for certain users, was introduced by Amazon Music. YouTube offers a wide variety of content beyond studio albums, including music videos, official tracks, live sessions, and user uploads.Users are encouraged to specify style, era, and mood in as much detail as possible.

For example, "Afrobeat-inspired dance tracks under 120 BPM for brunch", or "post-rock instrumentals featuring cinematic crescendos from the 2000s". Repetitive suggestions can be avoided by including exclusions in the suggestion.Activities work as useful anchors for prompts, such as "study-friendly ambient electronics with nature sounds" or "marathon training hip-hop with clean lyrics". Users can refine playlists by removing tracks and saving customised versions to inform the system about preferences.Over a few days or weeks, the feature continues to expand across regions. Stronger protections for sensitive prompts and more transparent indications of how listening history affects choices are two of the updates. YouTube Music's AI prompting system makes it easier for Premium subscribers to create playlists from their ideas.