AI connects past and present
When entering the historic building of Museum de Heksenwaag, visitors are immediately confronted with a life-sized scale, which was used centuries ago to weigh numerous individuals. It is not the only interactive element in the museum. For several months now, an AI installation (opens in new tab) has been located on the first floor of the old weighing house in the center of Oudewater.
There, visitors witness the arrest of an herbalist in her shop: she is accused of witchcraft before their very eyes. Visitors are actively questioned about their complicity: why are they in this herbalist's shop, who is accused of witchcraft? Have they ever caught her behaving suspiciously? Whatever answer the visitor gives, the inspector has already made his judgment.
Subsequently, the installation makes a leap to the present, inviting users to engage in a discussion between two villagers about a social media post. In both situations, users witness an accusation and are forced to take a side. The characters in both scenarios respond to the visitor's answers, increasing engagement and identification with the characters.
‘The AI installation helps us emotionally involve visitors in the story we want to tell’
Witnessing accusations
‘We want to make visitors aware of the relationship between the mindset surrounding the witch persecutions of the past and today’s world, with social media as a digital stake,’ explains director Isa van der Wee. ‘Initially, we wanted to produce a film for this purpose, but that became too expensive. Moreover, we wanted to actively involve visitors. An AI installation turned out to be the perfect form for this.’
For the development, ImproVive (opens in new tab), which has been creating such installations for nearly ten years, was enlisted. ‘We immediately started working on a script,’ says founder Roger ter Heide. ‘It soon became clear that part of the story had to take place in the past and part in the present. Users had to make the connection themselves: the language and environment of the two parts are different, but the way people judge others from their own perspective is often the same after all these centuries.’
Deliberately accessible
Visitors are asked guiding questions in the AI installation. ‘It helps us emotionally involve visitors in the story we want to tell, much more effectively than a piece of text or a video could.’
During the tests, visitors already indicated that the installation made them think, according to Van der Wee. ‘They mentioned seeing the parallels between the witch persecutions of the past and social media today: everything can be used against you. The installation proved particularly popular among young people – exactly the target audience we want to reach more. This is not achieved with traditional videos.’
Not all visitors want to participate in the installation. Some experience resistance to technology in general or AI in particular: they felt they could not handle the touch screen well enough or were skeptical about talking to a computer. ‘We deliberately made the first questions very accessible, with yes-or-no answers,’ explains Ter Heide. ‘This allows visitors to get acquainted with the technology before having to think deeply about their answers.’
‘Thanks to AI, you can quickly put together a prototype’
Plans for further development
The AI installation is clearly an asset to the museum, says Van der Wee. The director also has plans for further development. ‘We receive visitors from all over the world. Therefore, it would be helpful to offer other languages besides Dutch and English. Additionally, we want to develop more scenarios addressing other forms of contemporary discrimination and exclusion.’
Ter Heide wants to encourage cultural institutions to use artificial intelligence to better convey their stories. ‘People are often afraid it takes years to develop a product like this. This process only took four months. That’s the advantage of AI: you can quickly put together a prototype. Don’t be afraid to experiment: just try it.’
Tips from Museum de Heksenwaag and ImproVive
Establish a clear goal. Using artificial installations to engage with the audience sounds great, but what exactly do you want to achieve? Write this down clearly before starting.
Start accessibly. Thanks to artificial intelligence, you can develop a relatively good product in a short time.
Engage with your target audience. Test with the target audience you want to reach as early as possible. This also makes it easier to let go of your own expectations.
Author: Anne van den Dool
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