FARNBOROUGH, U.K. - Marylandian -- When Interpretation Becomes Conversation: Rethinking Engagement in Museums

Museums have always been rich in stories. What has changed is how visitors encounter them. Today's audiences arrive with limited time, high expectations, and constant exposure to responsive, personalised digital experiences. In this context, traditional interpretive methods — however rigorous — can struggle to sustain attention.

The challenge for museums is no longer content quality, but connection. How can institutions create encounters that are intellectually serious, emotionally resonant, and memorable, without compromising scholarly integrity?

A new interpretive approach is beginning to emerge: full-body, AI-powered conversational holograms of historical figures that respond to visitors in real time. Used carelessly, such technology risks novelty. Integrated thoughtfully, it offers a new interpretive language — one based on dialogue, curiosity, and sustained engagement.

From Static Interpretation to Living Dialogue

The appeal is simple: visitors don't just read about history — they converse with it.

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Ailias develops full-size conversational holograms that allow visitors to ask questions and receive historically grounded responses from figures drawn from history, science, and culture. Unlike scripted interactives, these encounters are dynamic. Each conversation evolves differently, shaped by the visitor's curiosity, background, and perspective.

Three New Voices from History

This month, Ailias is introducing three new characters:

• Leonardo da Vinci, exploring art, anatomy, engineering, and Renaissance thought
• Marie Curie, addressing scientific discovery, perseverance, and research
• Nikola Tesla, examining innovation and imagination at the dawn of modern technology

Beyond these, Ailias works with museums to develop bespoke characters — from global figures to local and underrepresented histories — tailored to each institution's collections and audiences.

Accuracy Before Spectacle

AI in heritage spaces raises valid concerns around accuracy and narrative control. Ailias addresses these through curated knowledge bases developed with historians and curators, and clearly defined interpretive boundaries aligned with institutional voice.

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These holograms are not replacements for curators or educators. They function as conversational gateways — encouraging curiosity, discussion, and deeper exploration within the museum.

Authenticity in Experience

Authenticity extends beyond content to form. Ailias focuses on highly realistic, full-body holograms with accurate scale, natural movement, and period-appropriate appearance. When visitors suspend disbelief, even briefly, engagement deepens and the technology recedes behind the encounter.

Why Museums Are Paying Attention

Early pilots indicate that conversational holograms:

• Increase time spent in galleries
• Engage younger audiences more effectively than text
• Generate significant social sharing
• Provide an interpretive asset that evolves over time

They also open new opportunities for premium experiences, sponsorship, and educational partnerships.

Museums have always mediated between past and present. Conversational holograms do not change that responsibility; they amplify it. Used well, they allow visitors to ask their own questions of history — and to feel, perhaps for the first time, that history is listening back.