In collaboration with Cinética Studio, this interactive experience was developed for the YouTube Music Recap event—YouTube’s own version of the personalized end-of-year recaps that many music platforms are embracing—designed to assign participants a unique personality based on their music taste and listening patterns. During the event in Mexico City, guests, including personalities, musicians, and influencers, received a custom Recap Personality along with a vinyl. As they stood before the interactive installation and declared their designated persona, the system employed live AI reinterpretation to transform their image in real time, encapsulating a novel fusion of personal narrative and cutting-edge technology.
YouTube Recap redefines personalized content by linking music preferences to distinctive personas. Tasked with creating an immersive and personalized journey, our objective was to translate this concept into an interactive installation that not only celebrated individual identity but also highlighted the transformative power of AI. The installation had to resonate with a diverse audience while remaining true to YouTube’s vibrant and innovative ethos.
The project was inspired by the emergence of powerful new AI tools capable of live reinterpretation of images—a capability that had not been possible until recently. We envisioned an experience where technology and personal identity could intersect, allowing each participant to witness an artistic reimagining of themselves based on their Recap Personality. This creative challenge fueled our commitment to harnessing advanced AI within a live, interactive framework, celebrating both individuality and technological ingenuity.
Our research journey began with a deep dive into the conceptual framework of personalized music experiences. We examined over 32 unique prompts during initial testing, eventually narrowing them down to a refined set of four distinct prompts for each of the 12 Recap Personalities: The Muscle, The Tortured Poet, The Hometown Hero, The Life of the Party, The Time Traveler, The Superhero, The Heart of Gold, The Wise Sage, The Explorer, The Hopeless Romantic, The Undercover Agent, and The Enigma. Critical attention was given to ensuring all prompts were specific and safe-for-work, addressing the unpredictable tendencies of some LoRA models. Additionally, we thoroughly analyzed the technical integration required for live AI reinterpretation using a customized version of StableDiffusion—StreamDiffusion—within TouchDesigner.
The creative process began with meticulous storyboarding of the entire user journey, from receiving the personalized vinyl to engaging with the live AI transformation. Using TouchDesigner as the backbone, we developed the interaction logic and integrated StreamDiffusion, ensuring seamless real-time reinterpretation of the live video feed. Our setup incorporated a specialized LoRA calibrated to achieve the client’s desired aesthetic, while each personality was supported by a suite of four distinct prompts to maintain variability and uniqueness—even among consecutive interactions. The system pushed the limits of computational efficiency, utilizing up to 90% of GPU capacity, a testament to both the challenges and breakthroughs in balancing high-performance live AI rendering.
The culmination of our efforts was a dynamic and immersive interactive experience showcased at the YouTube Recap event. Over 200+ guests experienced the installation, each witnessing a personalized, live AI reinterpretation that captured the essence of their assigned Recap Personality. This project not only exemplified the cutting-edge integration of AI and live performance art but also set a new benchmark for interactive storytelling, merging creative vision with technological precision in a truly unforgettable manner.
