Stanford University · Biomedical Data Science & Radiology · Rubin Laboratory
We develop conversational AI systems, voice-enabled interfaces, audience analytics platforms, and AI-generated media to make opera more accessible, discoverable, and analytically rich — addressing a cultural challenge with the tools of modern data science.
Opera is one of humanity's great art forms — and one facing a measurable crisis. Attendance has declined significantly across Western opera houses, with younger audiences largely absent. These are tractable problems for the methods of modern data science and artificial intelligence.
Working in conjunction with the Opera Verace Foundation (OVF), a California 501(c)(3) public charity co-founded by Dr. Rubin and Professor Terry Desser (Professor Emerita of Radiology, Stanford), this laboratory develops and deploys AI-driven approaches to audience development, education, and engagement — in partnership with leading opera institutions in North America and Europe.
Voice-driven dialogue agents, AI-generated social media content, and cinematic animations to make opera discoverable and compelling for new and younger audiences.
A conversational AI docent — including a live avatar — that guides users through opera's works, performers, and history, using high-quality voice synthesis and generative video.
A standardized data warehouse for performing arts institutions, enabling cross-institutional research on audience behavior, demographics, and the effectiveness of engagement strategies.