This AI Radio Host Speaks Spanish and Backs Immigrants. It’s Winning Over Listeners
Coyotec is bilingual, swears, and tells listeners how to defend themselves against ICE. Its popularity comes as more broadcasters are experimenting with artificial personalities.
In February 2026, a Spanish-speaking AI radio host named Coyotec began attracting attention on LA's José 97.5 FM. The host was created to provide support and speak candidly about immigration issues facing thousands of families in the United States. Coyotec is an artificially intelligent avatar that cohosts the station's Al Aire y Sin Permiso program alongside human broadcaster Geraldine "GeeGee" Guzman.
The AI host's voice is warm and colloquial, reflecting its programmers' vision of life on the frontier and in Los Angeles' Boyle Heights. Coyotec's posts on Instagram cover a range of topics, from local news to social justice issues. Its creators used Claude Haiku for language generation, Eleven Labs for voice synthesis, and Midjourney to design its image.
Coyotec's popularity has led to increased listenership among Gen Z and millennial listeners, as well as a 21.6% rise in cumulative listenership among Hispanic people in LA.
Written by urgent.news from Wired's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
