Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman has announced a strategic collaboration between his company Secret Mountain and Google Cloud to launch an AI-powered digital avatar music band, marking a significant step in the intersection of technology and art. The partnership aims to redefine the way music is created, performed, and experienced by using artificial intelligence to bring virtual avatars to life through sound, visuals, and storytelling.
The collaboration will leverage Google Cloud’s advanced AI, machine learning, and generative capabilities to power Secret Mountain’s vision of blending human creativity with digital innovation. The project is designed to create immersive musical experiences where AI-generated avatars can perform, compose, and interact with audiences in real time.
According to the companies, the partnership represents an ambitious attempt to push the boundaries of what is possible in the music industry by combining artistic expression with cutting-edge computing power. The new AI-driven band will feature digital avatars modeled on unique personalities, each with distinct visual and sonic identities, allowing fans to engage with them in virtual environments and live digital performances.
A.R. Rahman described the initiative as an evolution in the creative process—one that allows artists to explore the infinite possibilities of sound and imagination through the support of artificial intelligence. He said that Secret Mountain’s mission is to celebrate global music culture by fusing traditional artistry with modern technology. Rahman emphasized that the use of AI is not meant to replace human creativity but to amplify it, offering new tools for storytelling and musical exploration.
Secret Mountain, founded by Rahman as a creative technology venture, focuses on building immersive entertainment experiences through AI, music, and storytelling. With this collaboration, the company aims to introduce a digital-first approach to music performance, enabling virtual artists to evolve, collaborate, and perform across platforms such as streaming services, the metaverse, and social media.
Google Cloud will provide the technological backbone for this venture through its Vertex AI platform and Generative AI Studio, enabling large-scale data processing, avatar rendering, and real-time sound synthesis. The infrastructure will allow Secret Mountain’s creative team to train AI models capable of understanding musical patterns, styles, and emotional tones to produce original compositions and performances.
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said that the partnership with A.R. Rahman underscores the company’s commitment to supporting creators through AI-driven innovation. He highlighted that this collaboration demonstrates how generative AI can be applied responsibly within creative industries, enhancing artistic freedom while maintaining transparency and ethical oversight.
The partnership also reflects a growing global trend where artificial intelligence is becoming an integral part of creative industries. Across music, film, and visual arts, AI is increasingly being used to generate ideas, simulate performances, and build immersive digital environments. Rahman’s project stands out as one of the first large-scale initiatives from India to integrate AI deeply into the creative and performance process.
Industry observers have noted that the AI-powered digital avatar band could open new opportunities for fan engagement, particularly among younger audiences who consume entertainment through digital and immersive platforms. Virtual performances, interactive fan sessions, and personalized music creation are some of the potential outcomes of this partnership.
Secret Mountain’s team of composers, sound engineers, and visual artists are currently developing the virtual band’s first set of performances. Each digital avatar will represent a unique blend of culture, emotion, and musical genre, brought to life through AI-generated visual design and voice synthesis. These avatars are expected to perform songs composed in collaboration with human musicians, ensuring that authenticity and artistry remain at the core of the project.
A.R. Rahman expressed optimism that this initiative would democratize access to music creation, allowing emerging artists to collaborate with AI systems without heavy infrastructure costs. He emphasized that AI could help bridge gaps in access, education, and exposure for musicians worldwide. “We are standing at a crossroads where creativity and technology can work together to shape the future of art,” he said, highlighting that the digital avatar band represents the beginning of a new cultural movement.
The project also aims to explore sustainability within the entertainment industry. By enabling digital performances and reducing physical production demands, the collaboration intends to create eco-friendly entertainment formats. This aligns with both companies’ long-term sustainability goals—Google Cloud’s commitment to carbon-neutral computing and Secret Mountain’s push toward environmentally conscious creativity.
Google Cloud’s AI technology will also be used to improve audience personalization. Using data analytics and natural language understanding, the system can adapt performances based on listener preferences and engagement patterns. For instance, AI could generate unique variations of a song for each listener or allow fans to interact with avatars during live digital concerts through voice and chat.
The initiative has been met with widespread curiosity across the global music and technology communities. Analysts believe that this partnership positions India as a key player in the evolving AI-arts ecosystem, combining deep musical heritage with next-generation innovation. With Rahman’s artistic influence and Google Cloud’s technological leadership, the collaboration could set new standards for how music is conceptualized and distributed in the digital age.
While details of the band’s official debut have not yet been disclosed, industry sources suggest that the project’s first showcase will involve a series of immersive performances accessible via online streaming and VR platforms. Fans can expect a blend of human composition and AI improvisation, offering an entirely new type of musical experience that transcends physical and cultural boundaries.
By integrating AI into the creative process, A.R. Rahman and Google Cloud are pioneering a new frontier in the fusion of art and technology. The digital avatar music band is not just a technical experiment but a vision for the future of entertainment—one where human imagination collaborates with machine intelligence to create experiences that are dynamic, inclusive, and emotionally resonant.