18: Meet Your Personal AI DJ

How do you make an AI-generated voice feel more like a real person? You give it a real personality. Spotify recently released a new feature in the US and Canada called DJ. Turn it on, and you hear a curated selection of music and recommendations, along with a fun, friendly, knowledgeable voice telling you more about what you’re listening to (you know, like a real DJ) — except everything you hear is personalized just for you. Learn what makes this DJ feel so realistic and meet the people behind the technology — including the DJ himself.

Host Dave Zolotusky talks with product director Zeena Qureshi and director of engineering John Flynn — together they lead Speak, the team at Spotify responsible for DJ’s realistic, expressive voice. Hear how the AI voice technology they pioneered for Hollywood blockbusters and triple-A video games now brings Spotify’s personalized DJ to life, how they record a range of emotions to create deeper datasets for modeling DJ’s unique personality, the technical challenges of generating and delivering these dynamic performances at the press of a button, and how having your own personal audio guide brings a totally new dimension to the Spotify listening experience. You’ll also hear from the person who provides the raw ingredients for the AI DJ’s voice and soul: the real-life Xavier “X” Jernigan.

Learn more about Spotify’s personalized DJ and the technology behind it:

• TechCrunch: “Xavier ‘X’ Jernigan, the voice of Spotify’s DJ, explains what it’s like to become an AI”
• Variety: “How Spotify Created Its First AI DJ”
• TechCrunch: Spotify’s new ‘DJ’ feature is the first step into the streamer’s AI-powered future
• For the Record: “Spotify Debuts a New AI DJ, Right in Your Pocket”

Read what else we’re nerding out about on the Spotify Engineering Blog: engineering.atspotify.com

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