Disappointment over Spotify’s flat year-end wrap is a warning that AI is not everything

THERE was much excitement over the annual release of users’ listening summaries by music streaming service Spotify at the end of the year. But this quickly fell flat, when it became apparent to users that the information provided by the company on listening habits this year did not quite hit the right notes.

Fingers are pointing to Spotify’s excessive use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate the summaries, known as Spotify Wrapped, following deep job cuts in 2023 that affected its day-to-day operations.

The highly anticipated Spotify Wrapped offers users a personalised look into their top streamed songs, artistes and albums for the year. Other statistics, such as how much an artiste or song is streamed on a global level, are also included.