I just tried YouTube Music’s new AI Playlist feature and I’m impressed

YouTube Music is rolling out a new AI-powered feature that allows Premium subscribers to generate custom playlists using simple text prompts. And after testing it out this morning, I have to say: it’s pretty impressive.

While we have seen Google toy with similar ideas before—like the “AI Radio” tests back in July 2024—this is a full-blown playlist generator designed to compete directly with similar offerings from Spotify and others.

How the new AI Playlist prompts work

The feature is rolling out now for Premium users on both Android and iOS. If you have the update, creating a new AI mix is pretty straightforward:

1. Head to your Library tab in YouTube Music.
2. Tap the “New” button.
3. Select “AI Playlist.”

YouTube Premium and @YouTubeMusic Premium users can now instantly turn an idea, mood or genre into a personalized 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 Music
2. Select “AI… pic.twitter.com/YR1GVCqwvu

— Updates From YouTube (@UpdatesFromYT) February 9, 2026

From there, you can use text or voice to describe exactly what you want to hear. You can get specific with genres like “90s hardcore” or “upbeat classic hits,” or go for a mood like “upbeat lofi beats for working.” The AI then takes that prompt and then it just builds a curated playlist for you. Once the AI generates the list, you have to hit a “Create” button to actually save it to your library.

From what we can tell, these playlists are static—meaning they don’t appear to refresh automatically over time like a dynamic mix or Spotify’s “Daylist.” However, they are fully editable. You can remove songs you don’t like, and there is a Suggestions section at the bottom of the tracklist where you can add new songs manually. You can even refresh that suggestions section to get a new batch of recommendations if the first few don’t fit the vibe.

It is a really fun tool to play with, and I have been genuinely impressed with the curation so far. For example, the ‘2000s post-hardcore’ playlist it spun up for me was absolute perfection. I did notice that a few of the generated lists were a bit on the shorter side, but overall, the vibe was right on the money. If you are a Premium subscriber, it is definitely worth checking your Library tab to see if you can start prompting your own AI DJ today.