Creative Artificial Intelligence for Music Theatre: AI mediation and artificial–human co-creativity in contemporary science-fiction opera

Abstract

Humanity has long expressed itself through the arts, yet the recent surge of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked debate about its impact on human expression and connection. Situated at the nexus of concerns, hype and aspiration surrounding AI’s cultural implications, this article explores the evolving dynamics of artificial–human co-creativity in contemporary ‘science-fiction opera’, a sub-genre that adapts sci-fi narratives or integrates speculative technologies into live operatic performance. Although generative AI is increasingly reshaping artistic production across media, opera remains a unique domain where embodied expression and social interconnection take precedence. Drawing on Richard Grusin’s concept of ‘radical mediation’, this study examines how AI recalibrates processes of perception, affect and cognition within performance ecosystems of human and non-human agents. It addresses one central question: how does the complex mediation process in sci-fi opera contribute to humanizing technology, attuning artistic and design innovations to human experiences and cultural values? Focusing on two recent Swedish productions, The Tale of the Great Computing Machine and The Oracle, this article shows how technical and artistic media coalesce to create immersive, emotionally resonant experiences. These case studies illustrate varying degrees and various modalities of AI integration: interactive instrument design and robotic choreography in the former, generative text shaping real-time vocal performance in the latter. In both, AI functions as an active agent that mediates the real-time feedback loop of human performative expression. Positioned in wider debates on opera’s convergence with new media art, this article offers two key contributions to computational creativity, applied AI and performance studies. First, it illuminates how AI is transforming the contemporary performing arts landscape, highlighting its potential opportunities for future musical–theatrical practice. Second, it exemplifies how humanistic research, particularly music performance studies, can generate new knowledge about the creative dimensions of AI. This together ensures that embedding technology in the arts enables us to reimagine creativity and the ethics of creative work in today’s increasingly AI-led digital cultures.