How AI Changes the Way You Find Music and Movies: A Beginner’s Guide

Last Updated: October 24, 2024By AI InfoCategories: AI StudyTags: AI, AI Applications, Music Apps, Personalized Recommendations, Video Streaming

AI-based recommendation systems have revolutionized the way we discover movies and music. Platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify use AI to personalize content suggestions based on user behavior. This article explores how these systems work, tips for controlling unwanted content, and five handy apps to enhance your entertainment experience.

Personalized movie and music recommendations with AI

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the way we consume entertainment. In the past, finding a movie or song you might like meant reading reviews or asking friends. Now, AI algorithms help tailor personalized content based on your viewing and listening habits, ensuring you get the right movie or song suggestion at the perfect time.

The evolution of recommendation systems

Recommendation systems in the entertainment industry have evolved rapidly over the past two decades. Initially, online platforms offered only basic search capabilities, with recommendations largely limited to top-rated or newly released content. As user bases grew and data became more abundant, services such as Netflix and Spotify began using algorithms to suggest movies and music based on user preferences. These systems used user ratings and popular content to create simple recommendations, but today, AI makes them much more sophisticated.

Platforms like Netflix began to refine their algorithms with deep learning techniques, analyzing not only what users watched, but also what they interacted with, paused, or skipped. This allowed for increasingly accurate suggestions tailored to individual tastes. Over time, even niche genres and lesser-known artists could be recommended based on nuanced behavioral patterns. With the addition of AI, personalized recommendations have become standard on most streaming platforms.

Personalized movie and music recommendations with AI

How recommendation systems work: A Look at YouTube

Let’s take a look at how these AI-driven recommendation systems work, starting with one of the most popular platforms: YouTube. When you log in to YouTube, the first thing you see is a feed of videos personalized for you. But how does YouTube know what to recommend to you?

The system tracks several data points, including:

The videos you watch.
How long you watch each video.
What you like or dislike.
Your search history.

Using this data, YouTube’s algorithm identifies patterns, such as topics you are interested in or video formats you prefer (short vs. long). It then recommends similar videos and content from related channels. This system ensures that every time you visit YouTube, you get content tailored to your past behavior.

In addition, YouTube allows users to save topics and channels that they enjoy. You can subscribe to channels or “like” videos to help the algorithm better understand your preferences. The more you interact with the platform, the more accurate and personalized your recommendations become.

Blocking unwanted content: Keeping your feed clean

Sometimes, especially on shared devices, unwanted content appears. This is especially concerning for parents when children use platforms like YouTube. Fortunately, there are ways to control the content that appears.

On YouTube, you can block or restrict content using YouTube Kids, a version specifically designed to filter out inappropriate videos. Parents can also turn on Restricted Mode on regular YouTube, which hides videos flagged as inappropriate. You can also block certain channels from appearing in recommendations by clicking the three dots next to any video and selecting “Not interested” or “Do not recommend channel. These actions help the system learn what content to stop showing.

Fine tuning recommendations for personal use

AI apps for music and video discovery

Several AI-powered apps help users find personalized entertainment content. Here are five we highly recommend:

Spotify: Spotify uses an AI algorithm called “Discover Weekly” to suggest new music based on your listening habits. It also analyzes playlists you’ve created and compares them to those of similar users to recommend songs that might match your tastes.
Netflix: Netflix’s AI algorithms take into account your viewing history, what you’ve watched multiple times, and even pause patterns to suggest similar shows or movies. It also uses thumbnail customization to show different cover art based on what you might like.
Pandora: Pandora’s Music Genome Project categorizes songs into hundreds of attributes and uses machine learning to recommend music based on your ratings. As you like or skip songs, Pandora adjusts its future recommendations accordingly.
Apple Music: The For You section of Apple Music uses AI to suggest playlists and albums tailored to your current listening habits, preferences, and favorite artists. It updates frequently to provide fresh content.
YouTube Music: YouTube Music integrates directly with YouTube’s recommendation system. It uses AI to recommend music videos, live performances, and even covers, giving you a diverse selection of content based on your viewing and listening preferences.

Practical tips for better AI recommendations

Here are some key tips to help you get the most out of AI-powered recommendation systems:

Actively engage: The more you like, subscribe to, or rate content, the more refined your recommendations become.
Use multiple profiles: On shared devices, set up separate profiles to avoid mixed content recommendations.
Explore new content: Sometimes watching or listening to something outside your usual preferences will reset the algorithm and introduce new suggestions.

Fine tuning recommendations for personal use

AI systems learn best through consistent user feedback. As a viewer or listener, you have the power to shape the recommendations you receive. Regular interaction with content, whether it’s saving songs or marking certain shows as favorites, helps the system refine what it shows you. On platforms like Netflix or Spotify, creating playlists, saving albums, or giving thumbs up to content directly influences the recommendations you see.

Privacy and personal data management

AI recommendation systems work by analyzing personal data. While these systems offer convenience, some users may feel uncomfortable sharing their data. Most platforms, such as YouTube and Spotify, offer privacy settings that allow you to control what information is collected. Always check your privacy settings to make sure you’re comfortable with how much data is being used.