AR Rahman meets OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for AI Music Project 'Secret Mountain’
In a recent post on X, Rahman shared that he met Altman at the OpenAI headquarters in San Francisco to discuss the project, which includes a virtual global band, aimed at exploring ways AI can support Indian artists.
Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has collaborated with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for his latest AI-driven musical project Secret Mountain.
In a recent post on X, Rahman shared that he met Altman at the OpenAI headquarters in San Francisco to discuss the project, which includes a virtual global band, to explore avenues to use AI in the music industry.
“It was a pleasure meeting Sam Altman 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,” read his post.
During his visit to the US, Rahman also held discussions with Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI search startup Perplexity, signalling broader engagement with key figures driving advancements in generative AI.
Secret Mountain, launched in February last year, introduces a fictional universe led by a character named Luna.
“AI can be a starting point, but the human element, the emotional depth and creativity, remains irreplaceable,” he wrote on the project’s website.
Whose music is it anyway? OpenAI v top music labels sparks talks on fair use, licensing rights
Rahman is also exploring how AI can revive the voices of legendary singers. Earlier this year, he revealed using voice-cloning AI technology to recreate the voices of late playback singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed for the Tamil film Lal Salaam.
However, the collaboration comes at a time when OpenAI recently faced legal scrutiny from top homegrown music labels over how its AI models are trained on copyrighted content—raising questions about intellectual property, and ethical AI usage in creative industries.
Edited by Megha Reddy