Spotify Introduces ‘Livi,’ an AI DJ for Spanish Speakers

Spotify has expanded the horizons of its AI DJ, a feature that crafts personalized music playlists, by launching it in a new language. On Tuesday, the company made headlines by introducing a Spanish-speaking AI DJ, confirming previous speculations reported by TechCrunch about the feature’s development. This innovative AI DJ, originally voiced by Spotify’s Xavier “X” Jernigan, now includes a version with its vocals inspired by Olivia “Livi” Quiroz Roa, a Spotify senior music editor based in Mexico City, making the feature more inclusive for Spanish-speaking audiences.

Debuted last year, Spotify’s AI DJ aims to offer a sophisticated audio guide, utilizing a highly realistic voice to introduce tracks. This initiative is part of Spotify’s broader strategy to integrate new AI technologies into its platform, encouraging more robust music engagement among its users. Spotting a significant uptick in usage, Spotify’s data reveals a striking 200% growth in the feature’s utilization over the past year.

Spotify has engineered the AI DJ using technology from OpenAI alongside Sonantic, a voice AI firm acquired by Spotify in 2022. The choice of Jernigan, known as DJ X, to lend his voice and mannerisms laid the groundwork for the feature, blending professional sound quality with a touch of personal flair.

Roa was selected for the Spanish-language version following a comprehensive search, marking her voice as the most engaging and relatable among the audience. Her voice struck a chord with listeners, who found her music recommendations akin to those from a friend. Despite Roa’s introduction, listeners will still have the option to choose between her and the original AI DJ, offering a customizable listening experience, as per Spotify’s comments.

Spotify’s announcement highlights the vibrant Spanish-speaking user base on their platform, which has shown a burgeoning interest in the AI DJ feature, with social media discussions surging by over 215% in recent months.

TechCrunch’s May report shed light on this upcoming feature by uncovering “Livi” references within the app, hinting at its launch in Mexico. Now, Spotify confirms that “Livi” will be accessible to Premium users not just in Mexico but across several Latin American countries and wherever DJ X is available, broadening the feature’s global footprint.

Currently, “Livi” is in a “beta” testing phase.

Premium subscribers eager to experience “Livi” can do so by navigating to the Search tab in the Spotify app, typing “DJ” into the search bar, and pressing play. Those wishing to switch between English and Spanish DJs can simply use the three-dot menu within the DJ card to select their preferred language option.