Amazon Music has unveiled a new AI-powered feature called Topics, designed to help users discover related podcasts based on the subjects discussed in each episode. This innovation aims to simplify finding new content by analyzing podcast transcriptions and descriptions to identify key topics.

How It Works:

AI, with the help of human reviewers, generates a Topics tag button for each episode. These tags, found beneath episode descriptions, link to other related podcast episodes when clicked. For instance, an episode from the Stuff You Should Know podcast about caffeine effects featured tags like “Caffeine,” “Coffee,” and “Dopamine.”

Currently, Topics is available exclusively to US customers using the latest version of the Amazon Music mobile app on iOS or Android. Initially, the feature is limited to top podcasts but will expand to include more shows in the future.

Why This Matters:

Amazon's introduction of Topics seems to be a strategic move to compete with Spotify, which began using Google Cloud’s AI tools last November to enhance its podcast and audiobook recommendations. Users had noted that Spotify's suggestions were often not relevant, prompting the platform to improve its recommendation system.