Spotify announced in May 2026 a set of AI-powered features that allow users to generate their own podcasts and ask questions about episodes they are listening to, marking a shift from the platform’s traditional role as a podcast consumption service.
The centerpiece of the update is a personal podcast creation tool. Users can submit prompts — such as “Help me understand economics in five minutes” or “Share my daily city updates, and tell me about local concerts from artists I love” — to generate audio content saved directly to their Spotify library. Podcasts can be scheduled as recurring daily or weekly briefs or created as one-off episodes. Users can also supply links, PDFs, and text as source material and select a custom voice for generation. Spotify cited NotebookLM, ElevenLabs reader, and Huxe as comparable products in this space.
Earlier in May, Spotify released a GitHub-based command-line tool compatible with Claude Code and Codex to enable podcast creation. The company said in-app creation is coming soon. Spotify also released a dedicated desktop application, Studio by Spotify Labs, which connects to users’ email and calendar to produce personalized briefings.
Separately, Spotify is rolling out an AI-powered Q&A feature for Premium mobile users in the U.S., Sweden, and Ireland. The tool lets listeners ask questions about the episode they are currently playing, explore concepts mentioned in a podcast, or request recommendations on specific topics. The feature follows a prompt-based podcast playlist tool Spotify released in April 2026.
The company said users who streamed video podcasts were up 50% year-on-year, and the new features appear aimed at deepening overall engagement with the app. For creators, Spotify is also making its sponsorship management tool more widely available and adding a subscription option that lets podcasters charge for exclusive content — a model already offered by platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and Snap.
Source: TechCrunch