Royal Opera House's AI Festival Divides Musicians

The Royal Opera House is launching RBO/SHIFT, a four-day festival exploring the intersection of opera and artificial intelligence, running June 4-7 in the Linbury Theatre. The event pairs traditional performers with AI practitioners to create new vocal sounds. Soprano Patricia Auchterlonie collaborated with beatboxer Harry Yeff (Reeps One), who used AI to generate a virtual version of her voice that produced an eerie bird-like call she had never made. Associate director Netia Jones, who programs the festival, acknowledges widespread panic among artists but argues for embracing AI as a tool for subversive creativity. She cites artists like Paola Prestini, who uses AI to enable non-verbal actors, and Stephanie Dinkins, who examines AI's exclusion of Black and brown voices. Jones questions traditional notions of copyright, suggesting that in an age of massive AI models, individual ownership may become obsolete. However, many musicians remain skeptical, fearing their work will be exploited by tech companies. Auchterlonie believes AI can imitate but never replicate the genuine human energy of live performance. The festival aims to foster new paradigms for human-machine collaboration in the arts.