Coachella uses Google DeepMind’s AI to test the future of live entertainment

Coachella is turning one of the world’s largest music festivals into a testing ground for artificial intelligence.

The festival collaborated with Google DeepMind during this year’s event to build and test experimental tools designed to change how artists create shows and how fans experience them.

The new experiments focus on “universal models” – artificial intelligence systems that generate interactive digital environments. Coachella’s innovation team spent the 2026 festival building three prototypes using Google DeepMind genie project, The company’s global model platform.

“We got involved in this project where we work with their tools to explore ways in which these tools can expand and expand an artist’s palette, give them more tools for creative expression, expand the construction of the artist’s world on location and at home, and thus make the experience simpler and more fun for fans,” said Ryan Sinicola, Coachella’s creative production lead. Decryption.

One prototype, called “Turning Shows into Interactive Experiences,” captures live shows and reconstructs them as 3D environments that fans can explore. During the first weekend of the festival, teams recorded lighting, sound, visuals, and movement of both audience and performers during the Quasar stage set, then recreated the performance in Unreal Engine.

Coachella said the technology could eventually create “living archives” of shows that fans can view, replay from different perspectives, or watch using alternate images generated in real time.

“There are definitely ways we’re looking at how fans on the site will engage with this content in the future,” Sinicola said. “Looking to the future, with glasses and the advent of this form factor, this is definitely where we would consider streaming that content and making it a more immersive experience for fans on location.”

The second prototype is a stage design tool for artists. The software allows performers to upload visuals or enter prompts to see what a show would look like on a 3D model of Coachella stages at different times of the day and with different crowd conditions. The goal is to give small acts access to production tools typically reserved for artists with larger budgets and teams.

The third project is a mobile game called Coachella vs. The Game, where players control an astronaut and explore digital worlds based on festival artists. The team compared the idea to games people could play before visiting a theme park, giving fans a way to explore the lineup before arriving at the festival.

“Normally, you’re looking at six- to 12-month development timelines to drive a really high-quality experience. And that time has been cut dramatically, even just since the beginning of this year,” said Kevin McMahon, Coachella’s chief innovation partnerships officer. Decryption.

When asked why Coachella chose Google DeepMind over competitors like OpenAI or Anthropic, McMahon pointed to the company’s visual AI tools and existing relationship with the festival.

“For us, we live in a really visual world, and they have the best visual models,” he said. “We’ve been working with them throughout the festival, through live streaming on YouTube, which is part of the Google relationship. We’ve found that they have really great models that are easy to use, and they’ve been shipping them at a really fast rate. We’re excited to continue exploring with them.”

The AI ​​projects build on years of Coachella testing new technology to expand the festival beyond the event itself. In 2024, the festival launched Coachella Questionsgame on Avalanche blockchain that allows attendees to complete challenges and earn perks through NFT stamps. That same year, Coachella launched an Avalanche-based NFT passes and collectibles after the collapse of its previous Solana NFT partnership with FTX when the cryptocurrency exchange collapsed He collapsed.

“An experience like Coachella Quest was a way for us to highlight things and say, ‘Hey, have you thought about this?’ — without doing it in a boring, menu-driven way,” McMahon said. “How do we make it interactive – a way to explore and discover at the festival – and give fans the opportunity to meet each other and say, ‘Oh, you would have seen that thing or collected it too.’” Those happy accidents are something we continue to receive positive feedback on.

Coachella has also invested in augmented reality experiences for live stream viewers. This year’s augmented reality broadcasts included digital effects placed on shows that were only visible to online audiences.

Current AI projects have not been released publicly, and remain internal proofs of concept. Sinicola said Coachella is reviewing the lessons learned from this year’s festival before deciding what to offer in future years.

He added: “It is difficult now to set a specific timetable for this.” “We are at the point where we are learning all the lessons from the three proofs of concept we concluded last weekend and are working with our team and with DeepMind to understand the next steps.”