How AI is reshaping visitor engagement at Louvre Abu Dhabi
AI can be used to optimise operations and improve the visitor experience in museums
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Many sectors are exploring how AI can be used to improve processes and user experiences. This also includes institutions within the heritage sector. Several museums and art galleries around the world are finding innovative uses of AI to make the visitor experience more engaging and accessible. Leading the way is Louvre Abu Dhabi, an art museum inaugurated in 2017 through a partnership between France and the United Arab Emirates.
“AI has been used from the very beginning at Louvre Abu Dhabi,” says Victor Kabata, assistant professor of records management and archival science in the Department of History at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. “At the design and construction stage, computer-generated visuals were used to improve accuracy. Augmented reality, powered by machine learning, was employed to visualise how the museum’s dome would look when constructed,” says Kabata, who has conducted research on how AI can be used in museums to enhance services and the user experience.
More recently, the museum started using AI to improve the visitor experience. It has curated an interactive exhibit called Artificial Intelligence and Intuition, which uses sentiment analysis to understand visitors’ movements and emotions before responding with a customised audio and visual experience tailored to visitors’ preferences.
“The integration of AI at Louvre Abu Dhabi has significantly improved and personalised the visitor experience,” Kabata says. “Natural language processing is used to generate AI content, which is then fed into a chatbot to answer visitors’ questions. Common queries about an exhibit’s creation and background can be answered immediately by the chatbot. This has introduced a new level of interaction and engagement at the museum.”
The museum uses AI in its Art Scan app to improve accessibility. Visitors can scan an artwork using their smartphone, with the app providing detailed information in selected languages. “The Art Scan app enables visitors to learn about an exhibit, regardless of their preferred language,” Kabata says. “The app also employs image recognition to assist visitors.”
AI has the potential to revolutionise the museum sector by creating new ways for visitors to engage with exhibits. “With the deployment of AI, how visitors consume information about an exhibition has changed markedly,” says Kabata. “At Louvre Abu Dhabi, visitors can acquire the information they want faster through an AI-enabled chatbot.”
The use of AI at Louvre Abu Dhabi represents a sea change for the heritage sector, disrupting the traditional way visitors interact with and appreciate exhibits. For instance, where individuals were once restricted by a museum’s visiting hours, AI has enabled them to interact with artwork and historical artefacts via a chatbot whenever they choose.
“In the future, we will see participative museums, where institutions act as hubs of interaction for visitors, powered by AI and digital content,” says Kabata. “Instead of passively consuming information, AI will enable visitors to take part in content creation and idea sharing. We will see more virtual and hybrid museums, with exhibition planning and museum services managed digitally with the help of AI.”
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