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Parisian Museums Use AI, Immersive Tech to Lure Young Audience

Visitors at the Orsay museum in Paris. AFP
Visitors at the Orsay museum in Paris. AFP
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Parisian Museums Use AI, Immersive Tech to Lure Young Audience

Visitors at the Orsay museum in Paris. AFP
Visitors at the Orsay museum in Paris. AFP

Museums in Paris are deploying artificial intelligence (AI) and immersive experiences to lure the younger audience but without ditching the traditional museum tour.

“It’s the language of the new generations... those who were born in the digital age and see a deficiency in every hall that lacks modern technology,” Chloé Siganos, head of live entertainment at the Pompidou Center, a prominent museum of modern art and a leading cultural destination of modern technologies, told AFP.

While some private cultural centers, such as l'Atelier des Lumières, specialize in modern technologies and prioritize developing their digital exhibitions around the world, modern techs aren’t as common in official institutions.

The Louvres started a limited use of modern technologies in 2019, using virtual reality (VR) to make Leonardo Da Vinci speak about many of his works, including the Mona Liza. Since October, the visitors of the world’s largest museum have become able to explore some ancient Egyptian antiquities using their smartphones and augmented reality (AR).

Using an AR headset, the Pompidou Center raised awareness last year in France and the world about the story of civil right activist Claudette Colvin, the first US black woman who refused to waive her bus seat for a white person, before Rosa Parks.

Her story was told through holograms that embodied people from her life in Alabama in the 1950s.

Hugo Danthez, from HoloForge Interactive, explained how his company used AR to “rediscover the Villa Masséna Casine in Nice, Maison Poincaré of mathematics in Paris, and the Christian-Ethiopian Lalibela site enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage List.” Danthez believes that this technology is “not completely separated from reality,” hoping to use it one day in Versailles.

Today, we say “before and after ChatGPT,” Marion Carré, president and co-founder of ‘Ask Mona’, a startup specialized in cultural AI, told AFP.

“The company developed the first audio guide that provides direct answers to visitors’ queries. It is currently being used at Quebec’s National Museum of Fine Arts,” she said.

“Immersive experiences and new technologies do not replace the traditional observation of the artwork. Yet, it helps boosting the museum experience and luring a new audience,” said Valentin Schmite, director-general of ‘Ask Mona’, which provides magnets that allow the user to communicate (using text or voice commands) with around 30 historic figures after scanning a QR code on their smartphone.

According to Schmite, “this simple and replicable content” has been adopted since 2017 by around 200 museums around the world, including the Louvres, Pompidou Center and Rome’s Colosseum.

At the d'Orsay Museum, which installed a significant number of devices for an exhibition about Vincent Van Gogh, the focus is on one objective, “examining every immersive experience,” and “respecting the museum’s financial stability.”

The museum plans to repeat the project in March, with a 45-minute immersive experience using VR headsets for its first impressionist exhibition.

In the Netherlands, the Hilversum Media Museum followed suit, using facial recognition to offer a customized experience that allows every visitor to establish their own profile.

“After their photo is taken, the visitor shall provide their email address, birthday and preferences, to enjoy a visit that is specially curated for them on their smartphone,” said Karen Drost, director of the museum.

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Culture

Top Prosecutor: Louvre Heist Probe Still Aims to Recover Jewelry

FILE - People wait for the Louvre museum to open, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
FILE - People wait for the Louvre museum to open, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
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Top Prosecutor: Louvre Heist Probe Still Aims to Recover Jewelry

FILE - People wait for the Louvre museum to open, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
FILE - People wait for the Louvre museum to open, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

French investigators remain determined to find the imperial jewels stolen from the Louvre in October, a prosecutor has told AFP.

Police believe they have arrested all four thieves who carried out the brazen October 19 robbery, making off with jewelry worth an estimated $102 million from the world-famous museum.

"The interrogations have not produced any new investigative elements," top Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said this week, three months after the broad-daylight heist.

But the case remains a top priority, she underlined.

"Our main objective is still to recover the jewelry," she said.

That Sunday morning in October, thieves parked a mover's truck with an extendable ladder below the Louvre's Apollo Gallery housing the French crown jewels.

Two of the thieves climbed up the ladder, broke a window and used angle grinders to cut glass display booths containing the treasures, while the other two waited below, investigators say.

The four then fled on high-powered motor scooters, dropping a diamond-and-emerald crown in their hurry.

But eight other items of jewelry -- including an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise -- remain at large.

Beccuau said investigators were keeping an open mind as to where the loot might be.

"We don't have any signals indicating that the jewelry is likely to have crossed the border," she said, though she added: "Anything is possible."

Detectives benefitted from contacts with "intermediaries in the art world, including internationally" as they pursued their probe.

"They have ways of receiving warning signals about networks of receivers of stolen goods, including abroad," Beccuau said.

As for anyone coming forward to hand over the jewels, that would be considered to be "active repentance, which could be taken into consideration" later during a trial, she said.

A fifth suspect, a 38-year-old woman who is the partner of one of the men, has been charged with being an accomplice but was released under judicial supervision pending a trial.

Investigators still had no idea if someone had ordered the theft.

"We refuse to have any preconceived notions about what might have led the individuals concerned to commit this theft," the prosecutor said.

But she said detectives and investigating magistrates were resolute.

"We haven't said our last word. It will take as long as it takes," she said.

Culture

Desert X AlUla Unveils Acclaimed Lineup of Saudi and Global Artists in 2026 Edition

Running from January 16 to February 28, the exhibition will feature an exceptional selection of specially commissioned artworks. SPA
Running from January 16 to February 28, the exhibition will feature an exceptional selection of specially commissioned artworks. SPA
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Desert X AlUla Unveils Acclaimed Lineup of Saudi and Global Artists in 2026 Edition

Running from January 16 to February 28, the exhibition will feature an exceptional selection of specially commissioned artworks. SPA
Running from January 16 to February 28, the exhibition will feature an exceptional selection of specially commissioned artworks. SPA

Arts AlUla has announced the lineup of Saudi and international artists participating in the fourth edition of Desert X AlUla, the international open-air art exhibition held in collaboration with Desert X.

Running from January 16 to February 28, the exhibition will feature an exceptional selection of specially commissioned artworks, ranging from large-scale installations and sound pieces that stretch across and beneath the desert landscape, to kinetic works and immersive interactive experiences.

The showcase reflects a deep connection to AlUla’s unique environment, its dramatic natural landscapes, and rich cultural heritage.

Desert X AlUla, the region’s first public art biennial, will feature 11 artists presenting diverse perspectives, materials, and artistic traditions in their large-scale works in its 2026 edition.

The program offers a delightful mix of performances and interactive family activities, alongside dedicated programs that blend sound, movement, storytelling, and play.

Also, the visitor pavilion will host a live music program curated in collaboration with AlUla Music Hub, creating moments where art, nature, and community converge in a shared experience shaped by rhythm and a strong sense of place.

Arts AlUla confirmed that Desert X AlUla 2026 will be open to the public.

Culture

Saudi Heritage Commission Announces Discovery of 20 Rock Engravings in Soudah Peaks Project

The newly identified sites feature inscriptions and rock carvings estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old. (SPA)
The newly identified sites feature inscriptions and rock carvings estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old. (SPA)
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Saudi Heritage Commission Announces Discovery of 20 Rock Engravings in Soudah Peaks Project

The newly identified sites feature inscriptions and rock carvings estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old. (SPA)
The newly identified sites feature inscriptions and rock carvings estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission, in collaboration with Soudah Development, a Public Investment Fund company, announced on Tuesday the discovery of 20 ancient rock art sites within the Soudah Peaks area.

Spanning more than 636.5 square kilometers across Soudah and parts of Rijal Almaa, the project area is now recognized as home to some of the region’s oldest cultural landmarks. The newly identified sites feature inscriptions and rock carvings estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old, offering valuable insights into the region’s rich history.

The findings include Thamudic inscriptions, along with vivid depictions of ibex, hyenas, and ostriches, as well as scenes of hunters, dancers, palm trees, and weapons, reflecting the environmental and social practices of the ancient communities that once inhabited the area.

The survey forms part of a memorandum of understanding signed between the Heritage Commission and Soudah Development. Conducted in four scientific phases, the initiative began with data collection and site analysis, concluding with the documentation and classification of high-value archaeological sites in preparation for future development and preservation efforts.

Soudah Development remains committed to protecting and promoting the natural and cultural heritage of the project area. The company continues to work towards creating an integrated cultural and tourism experience that reflects the authenticity and historical richness of the region, in line with its vision to transform Soudah Peaks into a premier luxury mountain destination rooted in heritage.