FRANKFURT: Kia Europe, working with INNOCEAN Europe, has developed Kia Soundscapes, an initiative that transforms landscapes into symphonic compositions using artificial intelligence.
The project enables visually impaired passengers to experience the essence of a road trip differently by converting visual data into musical scores.
Research indicates that music can stimulate the visual cortex in blind individuals, providing the inspiration behind this artistic experiment.
Using the car’s Advanced Driver Assistance System and onboard cameras, Kia captured images of natural scenery outside Santiago, Chile.
These visuals – including trees, mountains, and variations in vehicle speed – are processed by advanced AI to generate a dynamic soundtrack.
Trees are represented by soft woodwind sounds, mountains by deep, resonant tones, and changes in speed alter the tempo of the composition.
Kia Europe marketing director David Hilbert said the project was designed to remove barriers and enhance accessibility through technology.
The experiment led to two short documentary films, which premiered in April. Although not a commercial feature, Kia intends to release the original compositions on its website, marking the company’s first venture into AI-driven creative projects.
