As AI makes its way into various industries, a growing number of music artists are exploring creative ways to incorporate it into their works.
One of South Korea’s most influential stars, G-Dragon, has taken that idea to another level—by launching both his music and a visual representation of his eye into space.
On 9 April 2025, G-Dragon’s voice, song, and an AI-generated image of his iris were transmitted into space via a satellite antenna.
This unique project, named the G-Dragon Space Sound Transmission Project, was a collaborative effort between the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Galaxy Corporation, and contemporary artist and professor Lee Jin-joon.
The audio transmission featured G-Dragon’s latest single “Home Sweet Home,” a brief greeting from the artist, and the resonant sound of Korea’s 1,000-year-old Emile Bell.
These sounds were crafted using Sora—an advanced AI music and media tool developed through Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service.
This platform allowed G-Dragon to shape and enhance the soundscape with precision and creative depth, blending historical resonance with modern AI-driven composition.
The combined sound was broadcast through a satellite antenna linked to the Nuri rocket’s payload, which was launched in May 2023.
According to KAIST, this signal will continue to be transmitted into outer space once a day.
This is the first time a K-pop artist has had a song transmitted from Earth into space using ground-based technology.
While BTS’s “Dynamite” music video was previously played in space by Korea’s lunar orbiter Danuri in 2022, G-Dragon’s project is the first of its kind to beam music outward from Earth, rather than receive it in orbit.
G-Dragon said at the “Innovate Korea 2025” forum,
“It’s already amazing that the world can share music through the advancement of science, but the fact that one of my cherished songs is being sent into space still feels surreal. I’m very thrilled, and I hope (my song) has ‘found its home properly.’”
The visual element of the project is a cinematic artwork titled “Iris”, created using generative AI based on a scan of G-Dragon’s eye.
The artwork was projection-mapped onto a 13-metre space antenna at KAIST’s satellite research centre in Daejeon, about 150 kilometres south of Seoul.
Professor Lee Jin-joon, who directed the media art component, described the iris as “a symbol reflecting inner emotions and identity, often referred to as the mirror of the soul.”
The media artwork was created by Lee Jin-joon, a contemporary artist and associate professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). (Source: Yonhap)
He added,
“Through this work, I aimed to depict the infinite universe seen through the inner self of humanity by following G-Dragon’s perspective.”
The initiative stems from a partnership between Galaxy Corporation—an AI metaverse company—and KAIST.
Their joint AI Enter-Tech Research Center, officially launched the same day as the transmission, focuses on merging advanced technologies with creative expression.
G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, has been a visiting professor at KAIST’s Department of Mechanical Engineering since 2024, where he gives lectures on leadership and supports AI entertainment research.
KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung (left) speaks with singer G-Dragon at the signboard ceremony for the new AI entertainment technology research center, a collaboration between KAIST and Galaxy Corporation, where G-Dragon is a visiting professor.
Galaxy Corporation’s Chief Happiness Officer, Choi Yong-ho, compared the significance of the project to NASA’s 2008 transmission of The Beatles’ “Across the Universe”.
He said,
“It marks a pioneering step in introducing human culture to space and will be remembered as a milestone performance in music history.”
This experimental fusion of science, music, and art marks a bold direction for future content creation.
By transmitting not only sound but also a personal visual symbol into space, the project positions AI-powered entertainment as a frontier that blends emotional depth with technological achievement.
G-Dragon, who debuted in 2006 as the leader of Big Bang and remains a defining figure in Korean pop culture at 37, returned to music in February 2025 with “Ubermensch”, his first full-length album in over 11 years.
The song “Home Sweet Home” is the second single from that album.
G-Dragon added during the KAIST forum,
“It’s astounding that science has advanced to a point where people around the world can share music. But the idea of one of my favourite songs being selected and sent into space still feels surreal. I’m incredibly excited.”
While G-Dragon’s project reflects the creative possibilities of AI in music and art, South Korea is also tightening regulations—KOMCA, the nation’s leading copyright body, now requires artists to declare that their songs were created entirely without AI to qualify for registration.
This contrast highlights the country’s cautious approach to emerging technologies, even as artists continue to push creative boundaries.
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