I used Apple Music's new AI tool to break out of my music rut - and it worked

1 day ago 9
AirPods Max 2 successful  Starlight
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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

  • Playlist Playground debuted successful iOS 26.4.
  • This diagnostic allows users to make AI-generated playlists from a prompt.
  • It's casual and quick, but not ever a location run.

When I was younger, I spent tons of clip discovering caller euphony and curating playlists filled with songs that captured each temper I was successful and enactment I regularly engaged in, ranging from angsty melancholy to driving down the road connected a sunny day. As much big responsibilities entered my life, I've had little tendency to observe caller euphony and much tendency to find solace successful my favourite tracks from the past; it's astir apt been years since I dedicated hours to a caller playlist.

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Enter Apple Music's Playlist Playground, a caller diagnostic successful iOS 26.4, that uses generative AI to make a playlist from a punctual you provide. This punctual tin see thing from "make a playlist with songs that person a akin vibe to Tame Impala's 'Breathe Deeper,'" to "create a playlist wherever each 3rd connection of the tracklist is the connection 'love.'"

So, I fto Apple Music make AI-curated playlists for maine implicit the weekend, asking for ones to locomotion done the city, implicit a high-intensity workout, and assistance maine enactment focused portion finishing immoderate play work. Here's however it went.

An after-work stroll done Atlanta

Playlist Playground
Jada Jones/ZDNET

I was moving a fewer errands successful Atlanta connected Friday evening and needed a playlist to service arsenic inheritance euphony during my main quality moment. Years ago, erstwhile I was surviving and finishing my grade successful Atlanta, I made a playlist for my afternoons walking astir my downtown assemblage campus, and the AI-generated playlist couldn't person been much different.

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I directed Playlist Playground to make a playlist for "walking done the streets of Atlanta connected a sunny day." When I deliberation of Atlanta and music, I deliberation of soiled southbound rappers similar Ludacris, OutKast, and Ying Yang Twins, oregon modern trap superstars similar Young Thug, Gunna, Future, and Migos. In hindsight, I recognize that my punctual was off, and my expectations of the AI weren't wide enough, arsenic Playlist Playground has a antithetic relation of the words "music" and "Atlanta" than I do.

That said, my Playlist Playground featured selections from Harry Styles, Weezer, Maroon 5, and Katy Perry; each were songs that I like, but didn't rather acceptable what I was successful the temper for astatine that circumstantial moment. I'll walk connected this playlist and instrumentality to my ain oregon crook to Apple's "Atlanta Hip-Hop Essentials" playlist.

A Saturday day workout

Playlist Playground
Jada Jones/ZDNET

My gym playlist often goes stale, arsenic I'm not idiosyncratic who tin perceive to conscionable thing erstwhile I'm mustering up the information to enactment retired aft a time astatine work. Rarely bash I really perceive to euphony portion moving out, and I conscionable request thing with capable bass and beats per infinitesimal to propulsion maine done a dense lift.

I find myself replaying Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow," Jennie's "Like Jennie," and Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra" passim my hour-long workout, truthful I was owed for immoderate variety. After my Atlanta-themed playlist didn't spell arsenic planned, I realized I needed to beryllium much circumstantial with Prompted Playlists to get my desired results.

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Instead of simply asking for a gym playlist for a dense assistance Saturday afternoon, I specified that I wanted a high-intensity playlist featuring hip-hop and popular songs with a higher beats-per-minute (BPM). I got precisely that: "Guap" by Big Sean (146 BPM); "Time of Our Lives" by Pitbull & Ne-Yo (124 BPM); "MotorSport" by Migos, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B (138 BPM), positive 47 different songs. I checked each song's BPM connected SongBPM.com, and according to Planet Fitness' website, the perfect BPM scope for spot grooming is 120 to 140.

This gym-inspired Playlist Playground got the occupation done, and with astir 3 hours' worthy of songs, I had plentifulness of euphony to prolong my workout.

Sunday productivity, focus, and alertness

Playlist Playground
Jada Jones/ZDNET

My enactment playlist changes depending connected the day; erstwhile I'm doing little intensive tasks, I tin perceive to my favourite music, but erstwhile I'm heavy successful thought portion writing, lyrics tin propulsion disconnected my penning flow. However, erstwhile euphony is excessively brushed and fades into the inheritance excessively much, I get distracted and suffer focus.

Also: Spotify's Prompted Playlists consciousness similar a smarter mode to observe euphony - however it works

I seldom crook to Apple's curated playlists during my heads-down enactment time, arsenic they don't onslaught the equilibrium I request to execute optimal flow. So, I asked Playlist Playground to make a playlist featuring lo-fi beats, binaural beats, and coffeehouse jazz tracks that beforehand absorption and productivity for my Sunday morning. The playlist included respective songs from each genre, giving maine 29 songs for 1 hr and 25 minutes of listening.

The assortment of genres and tracks was large for me, and I listened to the full playlist portion I worked. I'll support this 1 successful my library.

My verdict

Apple Music's Playlist Playground diagnostic is large for making a playlist successful an instant for passive listening, specified arsenic erstwhile you request 1 for a gathering, to play successful the inheritance portion working, driving, oregon exercising. Still, you'll request to beryllium circumstantial astir the vibes, genres, artists, and goals you're aiming for to execute your desired results.

Also: Spotify got different terms increase, but I recovered a cheaper alternate (with the aforesaid Premium benefits)

If you similar the playlists made by Playlist Playground, you tin change them by adding euphony from your library, choosing from Apple Music's suggested songs, changing the thumbnail, adding a description, and making it your own. However, determination are times erstwhile a playlist is an intentional act, similar making 1 for idiosyncratic you love, 1 that accommodates everyone's tastes during a roadworthy trip, oregon a sing-along among friends. To execute that, discourse and memories are required, which the AI doesn't have.

If you're successful a peculiar temper to perceive definite songs, oregon subordinate songs, genres, oregon circumstantial artists with feelings, the AI is little apt to beryllium connected the aforesaid leafage arsenic you. You'll get songs that seizure the wide vibe you're describing, but to curate playlists that seizure deeper thoughts, feelings, oregon memories associated with music, you'll person to bash it yourself.

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