In a significant development, music and artificial intelligence will now merge together, courtesy Indian composer and two-time Oscar winner AR Rahman and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The musician revealed their collaboration for his upcoming project, Secret Mountain, a virtual global band initiative that brings together cutting-edge technology with cross-cultural music.

Rahman met Altman at his office recently to discuss how AI tools could be integrated into creative workflows and how this can inspire and empower Indian talent.

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Sharing a photo of their meeting on Instagram, Rahman wrote, “It was a pleasure to meet @sama at his office… we discussed ‘Secret Mountain’, our virtual global band, and to empower and uplift Indian minds to use AI tools to address generational challenges and lead the way forward.”

Check out the picture here:

What is the Secret Mountain project?

The Secret Mountain project was initially introduced in a YouTube video released on February 14, 2024, which had generated a lot of interest in fans. The nearly five-minute clip begins with a fictional character named Luna narrating her journey in a magical metaverse. As Luna ventures through a surreal digital space where she encounters musicians from various cultural backgrounds, including India, Ireland, China, and Africa, her story becomes more interesting. The initiative is part of Rahman’s Meta Band, a collective that aims to bridge global borders through immersive, AI-enhanced musical experience.

Describing his creative philosophy, Rahman wrote, “I consciously avoid repetition” on his official website. Speaking about AI’s role, he added, “AI can be a starting point, but the human element, the emotional depth and creativity, remains irreplaceable.”

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What does Secret Mountain aim to do?

Secret Mountain aims to offer audiences a transformative listening experience by mixing music, AI, and storytelling. While the digital band uses artificial intelligence to reimagine sound design and performance, the core intent aims to bring about global unity.

On the film front, Rahman is currently making music for the highly anticipated two-part Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, starring Ranbir Kapoor. For the music of Ramayana, Rahman is collaborating with fellow Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. Rahman previously won two Academy Awards for his work on Slumdog Millionaire, by director Danny Boyle.

Rahman also met Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. Upon meeting him, Srinivas said the duo conducted live demos of Comet browser, and his upcoming project, “Secret Mountain”.

His post on X reads, “Great hosting @arrahman at @perplexity_ai office today with live demos of Comet browser, and his upcoming project “Secret Mountain”.