Help, I think Spotify is making me boring! And it's all the fault of artificial intelligence.

Music has become a functional part of my life. I organize playlists for the gym, work, and moments when I need energy. My selections are linked to specific activities and times of the day. So, when Spotify launched Daylist in September 2023, I was captivated.

Daylist is a dynamic and personalized playlist that updates throughout the day, based on my listening habits. It selects songs that align with past choices, adapting to different moments and, in theory, moods. It’s perfect: I open the list, chuckle at the AI-generated playlist names, hit shuffle, and there it is, no hassle.

However, the question arises: is this really positive? At first, I enjoyed this feature, but over time, it became something I depended on without realizing it. Now I’m starting to notice a pattern: the same themes and types of songs appear repeatedly. This leads me to question: am I trapped in a cycle created by artificial intelligence that feeds the same preferences until my tastes become a closed circuit? Is Spotify's recommendation algorithm making me predictable and, I would dare to say, boring?

Recommendations are crucial for Spotify's success, and Daylist is just one of many recommendation-driven features. Other examples include Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and Daily Mix. In turn, seasonal playlists like Spotify Wrapped help keep the content fresh. Spotify's strategy has been so successful that other streaming services have followed suit, refining their own recommendation engines.

Some playlists are curated by people within Spotify, but most are based on algorithms. This system considers various factors: what you listen to, what you skip, what you save, your location, age, and general listener behavior. A method called collaborative filtering is used, which analyzes users with similar habits to recommend music you might like. Another approach is content-based filtering, which examines features of songs like tempo and genre. Finally, contextual filtering takes into account the time of day and previous listening behavior, which is crucial for how Daylist operates.

While these techniques aim to keep recommendations fresh and personalized, there is also a downside: the more I listen to these algorithmic recommendations, the more my choices are reinforced, creating what is known as a filter bubble. This is not limited to Spotify; platforms like Netflix and YouTube operate similarly, promoting content we already enjoy and sometimes sacrificing new experiences.

This phenomenon is not new; for years, our digital experiences have been shaped more by recommendations than by our own curiosity. The convenience of these platforms further complicates breaking this trend, which is designed to keep us hooked and distracted.

So, if AI-driven recommendations keep me trapped in a musical monotony, what is the solution? The answers are simple, almost embarrassing, but I needed to remind myself of them. Lately, I’ve been making an effort to discover new music. I listen to more podcasts, radio stations, and ask friends for recommendations. Acknowledging that I might be stagnant is a step forward.

I’ve started using Spotify more intentionally: browsing my library to rediscover old favorites, searching for artists instead of mindlessly clicking through the colorful gradient of Daylist. This morning, instead of opening Daylist, I decided to listen to a new playlist. It’s not a huge change, but it’s a step.

While I enjoy the convenience of an algorithm telling me what to listen to, I don’t like how that reduces music to a product. These platforms aren’t designed to help us discover emerging artists or hidden gems; their goal is to keep us engaged and generate revenue. However, there’s something magical about human curation, about randomness, and serendipitous discoveries. But that exploration requires effort, patience, and a willingness to make mistakes sometimes. Can we ever encode that into an algorithm? It seems too chaotic, too human.

Perhaps I have it all wrong. Maybe these recommendation engines understand something deeply human, even though we’re not willing to admit it. We say we love discovering new things, that we crave novelty. But when it comes to entertainment, like movies, shows, or music, maybe we aren’t so adventurous after all. Perhaps we simply prefer the familiar. Maybe it’s not Spotify making me boring. Maybe, it’s just me.