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USC student Suvaditya reimagines “The Wizard of Oz” with AI
According to the USC Viterbi School, the film has been called “Hollywood’s biggest AI debut.”
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Rwittika Chakraborty
- Tue, 20, Jan 2026
- 02:11 EST
- 18
Suvaditya Mukherjee, an Indian-origin master’s student in computer science at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. / USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Indian-origin master’s student in computer science at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Suvaditya Mukherjee, has helped bring a pioneering artificial intelligence version of “The Wizard of Oz” to life at the Las Vegas Sphere.
The premiere of the reimagining of the 1939 classic opened on Aug. 28, 2025, at the colossal Las Vegas venue, which includes a massive 160,000‑square‑foot wraparound screen.
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The experience, which Mukherjee described to USC Viterbi School as “the experience of a lifetime,” involved collaboration with several researchers, visual effects artists and engineers from organizations including Magnopus, Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Sphere Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery.
To prepare the decades‑old film for the Sphere’s ultra‑high‑definition display, teams utilised advanced AI models to upscale and enhance the original Technicolor footage and extend scenes to fill the immersive canvas while preserving the performances of the original actors.
Mukherjee’s contributions focused on optimizing generation workflows and ensuring character likenesses remained faithful across frames, which was a key challenge when using AI to blend new visual details with archival film.
The immersive presentation also features synchronized physical effects such as winds, fog, and scent to deepen audience engagement, complementing the visual enhancements produced through AI.
According to the USC Viterbi School, the film has been called “Hollywood’s biggest AI debut” and is estimated to take in more than $1 billion over the next several years.
Mukherjee, a native of Mumbai, India, actively sought opportunities at USC by contacting several faculty members. He said his path to the project began with networking and dedication.
His work spans beyond the Sphere project to include AI research, educational content generation, and collaborations with USC faculty and the U.S. Department of Defense.
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