YouTube Music tests AI hosts to offer commentary, trivia, and stories
New feature expands YouTube’s AI experiments, building on conversational radio and creator tools, as the platform balances innovation with stricter rules against inauthentic content.
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YouTube Music has begun testing AI-powered music hosts that share stories, fan trivia, and commentary about the tracks users are listening to, the company announced on September 26.
The move comes two years after Spotify introduced its AI DJ, which curates music alongside AI-driven spoken insights about songs and artists. YouTube Music’s initiative builds on its broader experiments with conversational AI.
In July, the service unveiled an AI conversational radio feature that allows listeners to create custom stations by describing what they want to hear.
"YouTube Labs is a new initiative dedicated to exploring the potential of AI on YouTube. The first experiment, AI music hosts designed to deepen your listening experience by sharing relevant stories, fan trivia, and fun commentary about your favorite music on the YouTube Music app, is now live," the platform said in its blog.
The new AI hosts are being trialed through YouTube Labs, a hub for AI experiments that the company describes as “a new initiative dedicated to exploring the potential of AI on YouTube.”
Similar to Google Labs, the program allows users to test early-stage AI features and share feedback. Participation is open to all YouTube users without requiring a Premium subscription, though access is limited to select U.S.-based participants for now.
YouTube Labs has been steadily rolling out AI features across the platform. This month, it introduced generative AI tools for Shorts creators, and earlier launched an AI-powered search results carousel inspired by Google’s AI Overviews. The company has also expanded access to its conversational AI tool, helping users find content recommendations, video summaries, and additional information.
At the same time, YouTube is tightening rules around AI-generated “slop.” It recently updated its policies to limit monetization of mass-produced, repetitive, or otherwise “inauthentic” AI content, signaling that while the platform is embracing innovation, it is also drawing clear boundaries.
