To celebrate returning to New York for their 60th anniversary, The GRAMMYs transformed the streets NYC into an augmented reality musical instrument. We outfitted an Uber with sophisticated AI, cameras, and an AR screen to create a unique song for each rider, triggered by the objects and people the car passed on each route. Riders watched from the backseat as a custom song was composed live before their eyes.

The most prestigious music award show, The GRAMMYs, has taken place in Los Angeles, California for the past 15 years. However, for their 60th anniversary they decided to return to New York City. To celebrate we wanted to do something big with NY as our canvas.. An event that would be loved by New Yorkers lucky enough to experience it yet appreciated by any music fan. So we turned the streets of NYC into a musical instrument that’s played by a special GRAMMYs Uber.

Play the City relied on sophisticated Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality to turn objects outside the window of an Uber in New York City into music. Raw data from the world outside was processed by two supercomputers in the trunk, then displayed on the window/screen and played through the car’s speakers in real time. Riders watched in awe as their otherwise mundane and boring commute was brought to life by the GRAMMYs with music.