Spotify expands AI-powered Prompted Playlists to podcasts

Spotify announced today that it is expanding its AI-powered Prompted Playlist feature to include podcasts. The beta feature enables premium users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, Sweden, and New Zealand to generate custom podcast playlists using English text prompts. To use the feature, premium users can select the Prompted Playlists option under the creation menu to enter their text prompts. Users can also customize how often these playlists update, with options for daily or weekly updates, or to keep the list static. When an episode is added, the platform includes a short note explaining why it was selected. The expansion follows testing of the Prompted Playlists feature in New Zealand late last year, which initially focused on creating music-based lists, before launching the feature in the other geographies this year.

The audio-streaming company is positioning the tool to address podcast discovery. According to Spotify, more than 34 million podcasts are discovered for the first time every week on the platform. To assist with this discovery, users might also see Prompted Playlists created by Spotify’s culture team on their home screen, which can be customized by adjusting the prompt.

“Podcast fans are always looking for their next great listen. Prompted Playlist makes discovery feel effortless and personal. For creators, it unlocks powerful new opportunities for discovery, bringing both back catalog and new episodes to audiences who are actively signaling what they want to hear,” said Lizzy Hale, Spotify’s Global Head of Podcast Editorial.

The expansion comes as Spotify adjusts its platform to support podcast creators, particularly those producing video content. Earlier this year, the company lowered the monetization criteria for video podcasts on the platform. To qualify for monetization under the updated rules, creators must meet the following requirements:

• Have three published podcasts
• Accumulate 2,000 consumption hours over the prior 30 days
• Reach at least 1,000 engaged listeners over the last 30 days

During Spotify’s Q4 2025 earnings call in February, co-CEO Alex Norström stated that there were over 530,000 video podcasts on the platform.

Why it matters

Spotify is leveraging AI to address the discovery challenges inherent in large audio catalogs. By expanding Prompted Playlists to podcasts, the company aims to increase user engagement by simplifying how listeners find relevant content across both music and spoken-word formats.