Coachella turned its 2026 festival into an AI lab — and brought Google DeepMind along for the ride. In a high-profile test of “world models” (AI systems that generate interactive digital environments), the festival’s innovation team worked with DeepMind’s Project Genie to build three experimental tools that reimagine how performances are created, shared and experienced.
What they built
- Live shows as explorable 3D worlds: Teams captured lighting, audio, visuals and performer and crowd movement during a Quasar stage set in the festival’s first weekend, then rebuilt the show in Unreal Engine. The prototype — described internally as “Turning Performances Into Interactive Experiences” — can replay performances from alternate angles, layer real-time generated visuals, and could become a “living archive” fans can walk through or revisit. Coachella says the content may one day integrate with AR glasses to create richer on-site experiences.
- A stage-design studio for every artist: The second tool is a rapid stage mock-up system. Performers can upload visuals or enter prompts to preview how a set would look on 3D models of Coachella stages at different times of day and with varying crowd scenarios. The aim: democratize production tools normally reserved for big-budget acts so smaller artists can prototype professional-looking shows.
- Coachella vs. The Game: A mobile title where players control an astronaut exploring artist-themed digital worlds. The team compares it to pre-visit theme-park games — a way for fans to discover and engage with a lineup before arriving.
Why DeepMind?
Coachella’s innovation partnerships lead Kevin McMahon said the festival selected Google DeepMind largely for its visual AI strengths and an existing Google relationship (including YouTube livestreams). “We live in a really visual world, and they have the best visual models,” McMahon told Decrypt, adding that development timelines for high-quality experiences have compressed significantly this year.
Where crypto and Web3 fit in
These AI experiments follow Coachella’s recent pushes into Web3. In 2024 the festival launched Coachella Quests on the Avalanche blockchain — a gamified challenge system that awarded NFT stamps — and issued Avalanche-based NFT passes and collectibles after an earlier Solana partnership unraveled amid the FTX collapse. Coachella has also layered AR effects into livestream broadcasts for online audiences. The new AI prototypes remain internal proofs of concept, but they clearly intersect with prior blockchain and AR efforts by offering new ways to package, archive and potentially monetize digital festival experiences.
Status and next steps
None of the AI projects are public yet. Ryan Cenicola, Coachella’s innovation production lead, said the team is reviewing lessons from the 2026 tests with DeepMind before deciding what to roll out. “It’s difficult right now to put a firm timeline on it,” he told Decrypt, noting the projects are in a learning phase where the festival and DeepMind will determine next steps.
Why it matters
Coachella’s experiments underscore how live entertainment is leaning into AI and Web3 to extend events beyond a single weekend — from immersive replays and design tools to pre-festival engagement games. For the crypto community, the move signals continued interest in integrating digital ownership, AR/VR and AI-driven experiences that could reshape how music IP and fan interactions are created, archived and monetized.
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