YouTube’s rolling out a new AI tool for playlists, and it’s honestly pretty slick. You can just type or say what you want, such as ‘90s Bollywood classics’ or ‘House music for a chill party’, and the app pulls together a custom playlist in seconds. It works on both YouTube and YouTube Music, so you get recommendations that actually fit your mood. There’s a catch, though: only YouTube Premium and Google One subscribers get access for now.
How to create AI playlists on YouTube
If you are a YouTube Premium subscriber in India, you could access the feature directly from the app.
Here’s how:
- Open the YouTube app
- Go to the Library tab
- Tap on the ‘New’ button
- Select ‘AI Playlist”
- Enter your prompt via text or voice
Users can type requests like:
- 90s Bollywood classic hits
- Sad post-rock songs
- Death metal mix
- House music for a chill party
- Indie pop playlist
Within seconds, YouTube’s AI generates a personalised playlist based on your request. The feature is currently available on both Android and iPhone devices.
YouTube Premium in India
If you are in India and have YouTube Premium, you can try it out right in the app. Just open YouTube, head to your Library, tap 'New', select 'AI Playlist', and then give it a prompt – either type it out or just say it. The AI takes care of the rest. It’s up and running on both Android and iPhone.
YouTube joins Spotify and Amazon Music in AI race
YouTube’s not exactly breaking new ground here. Spotify and Amazon Music have already been using AI for radio stations and playlists. Actually, YouTube tested something similar back in July 2024—an AI tool that built custom radio stations based on prompts. This new playlist feature is basically the next step, and now more paying users get to play with it.
YouTube is working on making Premium more appealing
All of this is part of YouTube’s push to make Premium more tempting. Lately, there’s been talk about lyrics becoming a paid-only perk, which feels like another nudge to upgrade. Earlier this month, Google said they’ve hit 325 million paying subscribers across everything, including YouTube Premium and Google One. With more AI features locked behind the paywall, it’s clear YouTube wants to beef up its paid ecosystem even more.
