G-Dragon Completes World’s First Media Art Space Experiment via NASA and KAIST Collaboration

G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, successfully executed the world’s first project to transmit music into space through collaboration with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). KAIST announced on the 10th that the project was completed at its Space Research Center on the afternoon of April 9th. This marked the first instance of media art-based interdisciplinary art reaching outer space. The project was part of the “AI Entertech Research Center” being developed jointly by KAIST and Galaxy Corporation. Its goal was to transmit G-Dragon’s messages and music into space. By combining KAIST’s advanced space technology, media art works, and G-Dragon’s voice, a space culture content that integrated science and technology, art, and popular music was created. G-Dragon used OpenAI’s generative video AI program “Sora” to produce the music and music video. The music transmitted was his new track “HOME SWEET HOME,” consisting of an audio message filled with emotional vibrations. Along with it, G-Dragon’s iris image was also sent into space. This image, which symbolizes uniqueness and identity by enhancing an inner window through AI, focused on the theme of “an emotional signal expanding the human inner universe into outer space.” This content was transmitted into space via a next-generation small satellite developed by KAIST’s Space Research Center. At the event, Professor Lee Jin-jun of KAIST’s Media Art department also premiered his cinematic work “Iris” for the first time in the world. Created using generative artificial intelligence technology based on G-Dragon’s iris image and combining sound data from the bells of Strasbourg’s cathedral, which has a history spanning a thousand years, this work delivered an emotional artistic experience that transcended time and space. It was displayed using projection mapping on KAIST’s 13-meter space antenna. G-Dragon stated regarding this project that “this initiative will hold historical significance in the ‘entertech’ field, which bridges AI and entertainment, as well as in space physics.” This project is also related to NASA’s “Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)” program. NASA had previously transmitted The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” into space in February 2008, which was the first music sent by NASA into space. The representative of Galaxy Corporation said, “G-Dragon’s voice and music have now begun their journey toward space. This is an act of preserving music as humanity’s heritage and a monumental performance that opens a new chapter in music history comparable to that of The Beatles.” KAIST claimed that this project demonstrated new possibilities for satellite technology and provided a model showing how science can connect with society in more accessible ways. G-Dragon also gave a lecture on the potential of AI in entertainment at the “Innovate Korea” science and technology seminar held at KAIST on April 9th.