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The AI-tech behind your favorite Spotify feature  December 18, 2025

 

What's up, sunshine? Welcome to the show. I'm Coy Wire. Thank you for joining us today.

 

The countdown is on for holiday break. We're at the penultimate day of the week, so let's get to your news while we still have time.

 

penultimate [pɪˋnʌltəmɪt] adj. 倒数第二的

 

The folks at one of the United States' largest auto manufacturers, Ford Motor Company, say they are going to slow their role on their electric vehicle plans to put more focus on their gas and hybrid vehicles, part of their new plan, putting production of their flagship EV, the F-150 Lightning, on hold indefinitely.

 

folk [fok] n. （尤指某一群体或类型的）人们;【口】家属，亲属

 

This stems in part from U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, which are impacting the EV industry. The move for Ford means a $19.5 billion hit against its fourth quarter earnings. Automakers around the world have invested big time in EVs, but Ford says they've seen a drop in demand.

 

big time 很大程度上，非常

 

The federal tax credit from which EV buyers once benefited ended in September. The U.S. government also took away some of the environmental regulations that went into effect during former President Joe Biden's term.

 

tax credit 扣抵税额

 

Did your Spotify Wrapped feel spot on this year? You know where Spotify tells you which songs are your favorites.

 

spot on 精准的

 

If so, it's because the streaming music service aggregates or collects all the songs you played throughout the year by using machine learning algorithms behind the scenes.

 

aggregate [ˋægrɪ͵get] v. 聚集

 

It's just one example of our digital experiences becoming more personalized by technology. Our Claire Duffy has more.

 

Hey, Coy. Have you ever found yourself wondering how your Spotify wrapped seems to just get you so perfectly or why Netflix knows how to recommend the exact show you wanted to watch next?

 

It's all thanks to a technology called machine learning. So what is that? Machine learning is a process where a computer takes a bunch of data and uses an algorithm, essentially a mathematical equation, to find patterns in that data to draw conclusions or make recommendations.

 

So think sorting through all of the music you listened to this year to determine who your favorite artists were. You might have heard of machine learning in the context of artificial intelligence. That's because it also powers many of the A.I. tools we use today.

 

A.I. chatbots, for example, were trained on a bunch of human writing and they use their knowledge of the pattern in our language to respond to our questions. Here's Georgia Tech's Brian McGurkow to explain.

 

So like for using chat GPT or LLaMA or something like that, these companies scraped the internet, grabbed as much text as they could from Reddit conversations and forums and blog posts and news articles.

 

scrape [skrep] v. 勉强获得；费尽千辛万苦; 刮; 擦

 

And the patterns that they found are like, what words go with what other words? And so when you give it words, it goes, hey, what's the most likely word that would go next?

 

Now, online platforms don't just use information about us to serve us recommendations. They also look at what content people like us are consuming using a type of machine learning called collaborative filtering.

 

collaborative filtering 协同过滤

 

Spotify is really, really good at collecting data and describing data.

 

So one of the things that they use and has been used in lots of websites and apps that you use is this approach called collaborative filtering.

 

So Spotify, when you say, hey, give me some music that I think I'll like, like you hit the DJ button or something. And what it's doing is it's going, OK, let me look at this guy.

 

What does he listen to lately? OK, what are people that are like him? OK, what do they listen to? Let's give him some of that. And so collaborative filtering is underneath all of these sort of like, you know, magic suggestions that happen with Spotify wrapped or the auto-generated playlists.

 

It can recognize, like, hey, you know, there are not that many Goth Circus Ragtime people out there, but you're one of them.

 

circus [ˋsɝkəs] n. 馬戲團次文化(是指围绕马戏表演艺术发展出的独特社群和美学)

ragtime [ˋræg͵taɪm] adj. 滑稽的；不严肃的 (一种原始的音乐风格)

 

You know, it can help you sort of identify if you're on this island of music appreciation that you can brag to your friends about.

 

brag [bræg] v. 吹嘘说，自夸说；夸耀

 

So what to make of all of this? It's important to understand that apps and online platforms are taking in data you share with them, whether by listening to certain songs or liking certain photos, and they're learning from it. That can be used for fun applications, like giving you your Spotify wrapped.

 

Spotify says my listening age is 73, by the way, thanks to my love of classic rock.

 

But machine learning can also be used to do things like target you with ads for things a company thinks you're more likely to buy. And I don't know about you, but this time of year, that is the last thing I need.

 

Still, the more we know about how tech platforms collect and use our data, the better we can choose how to consciously engage with them. Coy?

 

Pop quiz, hot shot.

 

Volkswagen's iconic van was originally called what?

 

The Microbus, the Type 2, the Wonder Wagon or the Mystery Machine.

 

If you said type 2, you are too good. The Type 2 later renamed the Transporter started production in 1950. It soon became a cultural symbol of freedom road trips in the 1960s counterculture.

 

Type 1 was the one and only VW Beetle.

 

Now to a viral moment that became a symbol of hope. This vintage Volkswagen bus was spared from the L.A. fires, even as the rest of the neighborhood was decimated last January.

 

The bus has since undergone a full remodel and is getting some newfound love and national attention. Our Nick Watt has more.

 

remodel [riˋmɑd!] v. 改造; 修改; 改制; 整修

 

So many people saw hope in this picture, the little blue miracle, a 1977 VW microbus among the grays and blacks of destruction and despair.

 

microbus [ˋmaɪkrə͵bʌs] n. 小型巴士

 

This went through the fire. You see the burnt headlight.

 

Out front was on the case. This was back in January, found the bus.

 

And so we wanted to know who owned it to get the story here. And we found them.

 

Wow. It is magic. Current owner Megan Weinrauber, Malibu surfer.

 

I'm speechless to see all the houses burn. And I can't believe that Azul, the bus, that's what we named it. Survived. I'm just in shock.

 

Now, more shock. Good shock. The magic bus has had a makeover.

 

Now reunited with her owner. She's beautiful. How did this happen? Well, Volkswagen folks also saw that viral pic of the little singed survivor, and they asked if they could help pick Azul up and got to work.

 

singe [sɪndʒ] v. 把……微微烧焦; 把…烤焦

 

We found the car with the busted rear windows. We had ashes inside. We had embers inside and nothing combusted.

 

And we drained 11 gallons of fuel of the car. Why didn't it burn? I don't know. They worked on Azul for 2000 hours to bring a bus back to life.

 

Every part was restored. That eye catching blue paint had to be custom mixed.

 

But what about the Palisades? Then now nearly 7000 structures destroyed.

 

So far, only one home has been completely rebuilt. A certificate of occupancy was issued just last week. Azul is now back, charm, intact and even better than before.

 

occupancy [ˋɑkjəpənsɪ] n. 占有；占有期；居住

 

Can we hope for the same for the Palisades?

 

It's beginning tolook a lot like Christmas at the London Zoo, where some serious monkey business is underway.

 

monkey business 骗人的把戏; 恶作剧

 

Check out the zoo's saki monkeys going bananas over their very own stockings. They were hung with care, courtesy of the zookeepers, providing the petite primates with a holiday feast.

 

go bananas【俚】发疯; 发怒; 傻里傻气

courtesy of 承蒙...好主意; 承蒙...提供

 

Guess they made the nice list. Meanwhile, the zoo's gorilla troop went ape over their Christmas swag, burlap sacks filled with their favorite festive snacks.

 

go ape【俚】變得狂熱; 發瘋似的

burlap [ˋbɝlæp] n. 粗麻布

 

The critically endangered great apes are part of the more than 8000 amazing animals that call the zoo home.

 

great ape 类人猿（包括大猩猩，红猩猩，黑猩猩等）

 

Many are threatened or even extinct in the wild and part of the zoo's ongoing conservation programs. Here's wishing all creatures great and small and absolutely wonderful holiday.

 

Today's story, getting a 10 out of 10,the power of music, especially during the holidays.

 

What song would you like us to sing for you? Jingle Bell Rock, please. Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock. This is Dial-A-Carol, an annual tradition at the University of Illinois that goes back 65 years.

 

Started by a front desk person who just really wanted to spread Christmas joy and so we just kept the tradition going since then.

 

Nice way to spread some joy during some stressful times.

 

Any holiday song, any time of the day, these student volunteers are eager and ready to sing.

 

We believe in like the power of music and especially in giving back to our communities through music. That's the Jingle Bell Rock.

 

All right, almost time to bring it home.

 

Two shout outs for you this Thursday. The first one goes to Mr. Ertdahl at Canby High School in Canby, Oregon. Your students want you to know how much they appreciate your encouragement.

 

Rise up. And this shout out goes to Ms. Stokes at Allegro Charter School of Music in North Charleston, South Carolina. They sent us this book of Renaissance poems and Magnifico.

 

magnifico (意大利文意为「华丽的」) 是一个多义词

 

You nailed it. It's of historic places and people and times. And where are the beautiful artists? There they are.

 

Look at them smiling back right at us. You all are more powerful than you know. I can't wait to read some of that.

 

Have an awesome day. Go make it an awesome day and make someone smile. I'm Coy Wire and we are CNN 10.