YouTube Music introduces AI-generated playlist cover art customization and other features

YouTube Music has added a feature enabling users to customize their playlist cover art using AI. By clicking the pen icon on the playlist's cover, users can generate AI-created art in various categories such as animals, fantasy, food & drinks, landscapes, moods, travel, or pretty much anything they want. They can randomize the selection or opt for specific styles, like a photo of a Pug in a Pop Art painting style, and the AI will produce five unique images for them to choose from.

Initially, the feature is available to English-speaking users in the US, with plans to extend its reach to other regions and languages. Previously, YouTube automatically created playlist cover art by merging images from the playlist's first four songs, so this should enable users to customize their lists even more.

Alongside the AI cover art feature, YouTube Music is working on a "speed dial" feature to position frequently played content on the homepage for quick access. This is set to be launched in the next few months. Other recent updates include a Samples feature for discovering new music, similar to TikTok. All of these features are intended to bolster YouTube Music as a viable alternative to Spotify, especially considering that the latter is soon to launch a $19.99 'Superpremium' plan with lossless audio and AI playlists.