Xueba 01: In China, AI Enters Post-Graduate School for the First Time at the Faculty of Performing Arts
In China, a unique event occurred at the intersection of technology and culture: the humanoid robot Xueba 01 became the world’s first to be officially admitted into post-graduate school. Developed jointly by the Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) and Shanghai Polytechnic University, Xueba 01 enrolled at the Faculty of Performing Arts. Over the next four years, it will study the program “Digital Performance Design.”
This ambitious project marks an experiment in integrating artificial intelligence into the process of preserving and studying China’s rich cultural heritage. The robot’s curriculum includes mastering basic movements, exercise complexes, and performance techniques of traditional Chinese opera, including its Henan, Shanghai, and Beijing styles.
Xueba 01 is a humanoid standing 1.75 meters tall and weighing about 32 kilograms, capable of operating autonomously for up to six hours. Its design features an ultralight biomimetic tendon structure that enables it to reproduce over a hundred facial expressions. The robot can also alter its appearance and height, and adapt its behavior in real time depending on audience reactions.
One of the project’s scientific supervisors, Li Qingdu, notes that Xueba 01 can already perform operatic roles. However, the main goal of the current training is to achieve greater smoothness and aesthetic refinement in movements by copying the experience of professional actors. In the future, the robot is expected to learn how to independently analyze recordings of performances and acquire performing techniques.
The mission of the Xueba 01 project goes far beyond purely technical research. STA Rector Huang Changyong emphasizes that the main objective is to explore new forms of synthesis between traditional theatrical art and artificial intelligence.
The robot’s admission into post-graduate school is part of a broader national program to integrate AI into the field of art. This program was officially launched on July 27 at the International Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. Experts regard Xueba 01 not merely as a student, but as an innovative platform for testing new approaches to education, multimodal interaction, and artistic self-expression — demonstrating a unique symbiosis of technology and China’s traditional culture.
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