Thanks all for your patience, we’re finally able to share the SPE report after several delays in the timeline and change in scope.
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Livepeer SPE Retrospective Report
Introduction
Refraction’s AI Creator Adoption SPE Proposal, titled Real-Time AI Streaming for Artists sought to place Livepeer at the forefront of the real-time AI revolution by bridging technology with creative adoption—showing artists and audiences what’s possible today and setting the foundation for widespread adoption.
The series, which paired DJs with visual artists over the course of several months, was designed to validate Livepeer’s real-time AI streaming capabilities through regular artist collaborations and platform integrations. By engaging established musicians, visual artists, and emerging creators, this program provided tangible, repeatable use cases that demonstrated how Livepeer’s AI tools can transform the creative economy.
Commitments Delivered
Over the course of 4 months, Refraction created an end-to-end experience for artists interested in enhancing their real time streaming practice.
We created a structured programme, including an Open Call, hands-on creator workshop, and in-person preview of artworks in Buenos Aires, culminating in a series of weekly livestreamed audio-visual sets created in Daydream which aired weekly during December 2025.
To create a narrative around the series, we unlocked the Refraction archive, which contains never-before-heard and seen content from the first 5 years of Refraction’s activity. The series was positioned as a way to use Daydream to invigorate artist practices, showing them how real-time AI tools can be used to create new formats and modes of expression.
The Open Call and in-person exhibition were delivered beyond the commitments of the original proposal, which we’ll detail in the next section. Below are details on the Hands-On Creator Workshop and Audio-Visual Streaming Series.
Hands-On Creator Workshop
We worked closely with the Daydream and Livepeer teams to develop a hands-on workshop, introducing digital & 3D artists, especially those familiar with TouchDesigner, to the Daydream workspace. The workshop was aimed at the applicants to the Open Call and wider Daydream community.
The workshop took place on 12th November, in the Daydream Discord. More than 20 participants, including artists who developed work that was presented in Buenos Aires and during the online series, attended, with lively chat throughout the 1-hour long session.
We thank the Daydream and Livepeer teams for their help in facilitating this workshop, with special thanks to Andrew for hosting, and Carlota and Eric for their assistance in coordinating.
Audio-Visual Streaming Series
As detailed in the original proposal, we intended for this programme not to be a one off session, but a series building artists relationships and workflows, demonstrating repeatable actions for broader adoption.
Rather than run the series with one event per quarter, we decided to publish and stream over the course of one month, with consecutive sessions running each week during the month of December to build momentum.
The streams paired musicians, DJs and visual artists to create a first of its kind series of audio-visual sets created in Daydream, using audio and visual work from Refraction’s archive and Daydream to create brand new A/V sets. The sets were live streamed on UFO.fm and premiered on Zora. The open call reached 6,700 people through our socials, resulting in 22 responses from established visual artists. Meanwhile, the livestream series has reached 6,200+ people via Refraction and UFO’s channels so far, through the series announcement and individual livestream highlights.
The A/V sets were delivered as follows:
11th December
Teen Daze (DJ set) with visuals from Matthew Keff
- 1-hour stream on UFO.fm and Zora
16th December
Tabitha Swanson (DJ set) with visuals from Gremiana Gonzalez
- 1-hour stream on UFO.fm
23 December
Delcu and EPX (DJ sets) with visuals from Ikaro Cavalcante
- Double feature stream (2 hours) on UFO.fm
30 December
Kontronatura (DJ set) with visuals from Ikaro Cavalcante
- 1-hour stream on UFO.fm
The archive is currently up on the UFO.fm YouTube channel, and we’re working closely with the UFO.fm team to establish a plan for regular restreams of the sets to increase visibility and engagement, which is detailed in the “What’s Next” section below.
The Refraction team thanks UFO.fm and @nickhollins for his hard work in bringing these streams to life!
Delivered Beyond Commitments
In our early stages of ideating on this project, we realised that introducing more opportunities for in-person engagement and interaction would help create more meaningful adoption of the tools and strategies for future growth.
We also realised that in addition to curating specific artists from the Refraction community, we would benefit from launching a Open Call to artists in the extended network, to cast the net wider and receive a more robust and vibrant set of responses.
Livepeer x Refraction kick off event in NYC during FarCon 2025
To establish and publicly announce the collaboration, Refraction brought Livepeer and Daydream on as partners for a side event during FarCon in New York, May 2025.
The event featured a DJ set from Maachew Bentley, and was livestreamed with visuals manipulated in real-time using Daydream. The Daydream created visuals were simulcast on screens in the venue and on Farcaster using a 1.0 prototype UFO.FM mini app.
The stream worked flawlessly, and the audience were directly engaging with and prompting Daydream in the room. The broadcast was well received in the FarCaster community, and discussed during the main FarCon event.
Open Call
During the month of September, Refraction hosted an Open Call, inviting visual artists to submit their work for consideration to be paired with a DJ set from the Refraction archives. The chosen visual artists would be commissioned to use Daydream to create a new visual set, set to the audio of live DJ sets from Refraction’s archive.
The Open Call was used as an opportunity to communicate with and revitalise Refraction’s archive, using cutting edge visuals to bring attention to our existing cultural contributions, and make something new entirely.
We received over 30 submissions from all over the world, and selected 2 for the series. All applicants were encouraged to interact with the Daydream ecosystem, and were invited to the creator workshop hosted by Daydream and Refraction.
Refraction x Livepeer in Buenos Aires during DevConnect, November 2025
In addition to this SPE project, Refraction also won an RFP with Livepeer to co-curate and produce the AI x Open Media Forum, which took place in Buenos Aires following DevConnect.
The event lined up well with the final preparations for the Livestream series, and we were able to promote the series by displaying artworks during the day and night time sessions, which were attended by 300+ people.
Commitments Not Delivered
The view counts on the series were not as high as originally planned, and because we pivoted to an Open Call format to increase visibility with our artist community, our cohort of artists was smaller than anticipated.
We’re committed to continuing promoting the series, and to gather additional artist feedback on Livepeer and Daydream tools. We’ll be publishing an editorial series as detailed below to encourage the longtail impact of this project.
- 2 February: Sustaining ecosystem engagement through a Livepeer Discord Water Cooler session reflecting on SPE outcomes and outlining how the archive will live on post-program.
- 3 February: Publishing the full SPE Retrospective across Refraction’s editorial platform and X, providing a durable record of outcomes, learnings, and future direction.
- 4 February – 25 February: Releasing four artist-led editorial features (4 Feb, 11 Feb, 18 Feb, 25 Feb), each paired with archived A/V sets to document creative workflows, contextualise the programme’s outputs, and support future creator onboarding to Daydream.
- 4 February – 25 February: Distributing corresponding short-form set highlight content across Instagram and TikTok (4 Feb, 11 Feb, 18 Feb, 25 Feb) to increase discoverability and expand audience reach through continued promotion.
- TBD (post-February): Publishing Artist City Guides later in tandem with larger city activations, offering additional cultural entry points that link artists’ local scenes back to their Livepeer-powered archived sets.
Impact
This SPE had a meaningful impact on Livepeer’s creator and platform ecosystem by demonstrating real-world, artist-led use of real-time AI streaming and establishing repeatable workflows for creative adoption.
Most notably, the programme validated Daydream and Livepeer AI as viable tools for live, production-grade audio-visual performance, rather than experimental or one-off demos. Across four months, Refraction supported artists through onboarding, workshops, and live broadcasts, resulting in a complete end-to-end pathway from discovery to deployment.
Key impacts include:
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Creator adoption and engagement:
The Open Call reached approximately 6,700 people, resulting in 30+ submissions from visual artists worldwide and direct onboarding of multiple artists into the Daydream ecosystem. Over 20 artists and creators participated in the hands-on Daydream workshop, several of whom went on to produce work for the livestream series and in-person exhibitions. -
Demonstration of repeatable, artist-driven AI workflows:
The weekly December livestream series showcased multiple DJs and visual artists using Daydream to create new audio-visual works from Refraction’s archive, streamed live on UFO.fm and premiered on Zora. These broadcasts demonstrated that Livepeer-powered AI streaming can support consistent, multi-session creative programming rather than isolated showcases. -
Platform and ecosystem integration:
Livepeer AI-powered visuals were successfully integrated across UFO.fm, Farcaster, YouTube, and in-venue installations, including a live prototype mini-app during FarCon NYC. This reinforced Livepeer’s role as infrastructure capable of powering AI-driven media across platforms and contexts. -
Audience reach and cultural visibility:
The livestream series and supporting announcements reached 6,200+ people through Refraction and UFO.fm channels to date, with additional exposure through FarCon NYC and DevConnect Buenos Aires, where 300+ attendees experienced the work in person.
While livestream view counts were lower than initially projected, the SPE succeeded in its core goal of moving Livepeer AI from conceptual promise to tangible creative practice, generating durable content, documentation, and partnerships that continue to accrue value beyond the initial broadcast window.
Key Learnings
Several important learnings emerged from this SPE that should inform future creator adoption and ecosystem programmes:
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Depth of engagement matters more than raw reach.
While audience numbers did not fully meet initial targets, artists who participated engaged deeply with Daydream and Livepeer tools, producing high-quality work and contributing meaningful feedback. Future SPEs may benefit from prioritising fewer creators with stronger support pathways. -
Hands-on education is critical for adoption.
The Daydream creator workshop proved essential in reducing friction for artists, particularly those with TouchDesigner or 3D backgrounds. Live, interactive onboarding significantly increased confidence and willingness to experiment with real-time AI tools. -
Cultural framing accelerates adoption.
Positioning the programme around Refraction’s archive and legacy helped contextualise AI as a tool for creative renewal rather than novelty, making adoption feel relevant and artistically grounded. -
Momentum benefits from concentrated scheduling.
Publishing weekly livestreams over a single month generated more continuity and narrative cohesion than spaced quarterly events would have, suggesting that future programmes should favour clustered releases. -
Discovery and distribution require sustained effort.
Building viewership for new AI-native formats takes longer than anticipated. Ongoing promotion, restreams, and editorial support are necessary to realise long-tail impact.
These learnings highlight the importance of pairing technical infrastructure with sustained creative, educational, and distribution strategies in future SPEs.
Conclusion & What’s Next
In conclusion, this SPE successfully delivered on its core objective of validating Livepeer and Daydream as infrastructure for real-time, artist-driven AI streaming. Through workshops, livestreams, platform integrations, and in-person activations, the programme demonstrated how decentralized AI tools can support new creative formats and workflows in live media.
Looking ahead, the focus will be on extending the long-term impact of this work:
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Continued distribution and visibility:
Refraction is working with UFO.fm to establish a schedule for regular restreams of the December sets and to further activate the YouTube archive, increasing discoverability and audience reach. -
Editorial and documentation outputs:
An upcoming editorial series will capture artist perspectives, technical workflows, and creative outcomes, supporting future onboarding and long-tail adoption of Livepeer and Daydream tools. -
Ongoing artist feedback and iteration:
Additional feedback will be gathered from participating artists to inform future improvements to Livepeer AI tooling and creator support materials. -
Foundations for future programmes:
The structures developed through this SPE — Open Calls, workshops, recurring livestreams, and platform partnerships — provide a reusable model for future ecosystem-facing initiatives focused on creator adoption.
Overall, this SPE established a strong foundation for Livepeer’s continued growth in real-time AI-powered media and offers a clear blueprint for scaling creative adoption in future programmes.