YouTube Music is rolling out an AI radio feature called “Ask Music”

After taking a break from YouTube Music for about a year, I’m happy to be back on Google’s music streaming service and re-discovering all that the app has to offer. Just the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to fire up the app and find a shiny new “Introducing Ask Music” prompt front and center. As someone who listens to playlists throughout the day while working, the prompt’s bold claim to “Turn any idea into a custom radio” certainly piqued my interest.

I’d first seen that Google was working on this a month or so ago on 9to5Google, but this prompt seems to hint that YouTube Music is gearing up for a wider rollout of this “Ask Music” feature. As expected, it’s tucked away behind the YouTube Premium paywall, so free users are, unfortunately, left out for now. And while there’s no explicit mention of Gemini, the familiar sparkle icon seems to suggest this feature is powered by Google’s Gemini AI model.

After clicking the “Try now” button on, you are taken to a full-screen chat interface page that even looks like Gemini, where you’re asked “What are you in the mood for? Ask any way you like?” Whether it’s a few keywords like “lofi beats for working” or a full-blown sentence describing your dream playlist, YouTube Music is ready to listen.

In a matter of seconds, you’re presented with a playlist card, complete with a title and a more detailed description of your custom radio station. The first track starts playing automatically, and there is a button to save the playlist to your library and a three-dot button that opens a few extra options.

In addition to the prompt that popped up for me, I also have a purple card in my home feed promoting this new feature that’s nestled amongst the usual “Mixed for you” and “Similar to” sections.

While initial testing seems to have been limited to the US, 9to5Google reports that Google is planning wider availability so hopefully some other countries will be getting a taste of this AI-powered DJ soon. For now, it also looks like the Ask Music feature is only showing up for Android users and is only available in Engish.

With this move, YouTube Music is joining the AI playlist generation party alongside Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer. It’s clear that all the major players in the music streaming world are recognizing the power of AI to craft personalized listening experiences. I, for one, can’t wait to put this AI DJ through its paces and see what kind of musical magic it can conjure up. Let me know in the comments if you’re seeing this new feature and what you think about it!