Visitors to the University of Cambridge's Museum of Zoology have the chance to engage in two-way conversations with some of history's most iconic animals, thanks to an innovative use of artificial intelligence.
The experiment begins on Tuesday and will allow museum-goers to chat with 13 specimens, including the extinct dodo, a red panda and a giant blue-fin whale skeleton.
The museum's assistant director, Jack Ashby, explained that the project aims to engage people more deeply with the natural world while providing insights into what museum visitors are most curious about.
Visitors can start a conversation with the exhibit specimen by scanning a QR code with their smartphones.
"Our whole purpose is to get people engaged with the natural world," Ashby said. "So we're curious to see whether this will work, and whether chatting to the animals will change people's attitudes towards them - will the cockroach be better liked, for example, as a result of having its voice heard?"
The AI-powered initiative is a collaboration between the Museum of Zoology and Nature Perspectives, a company that specializes in using AI for public engagement. The conversations with the animal specimens will be crafted from a simulated first-person perspective, drawing on scientific data to create realistic and informative responses.
"One of the most magical aspects of the simulations is that they're age-adaptive," said Gal Zanir, co-founder of Nature Perspectives. "For the first time, visitors of all ages will be able to ask the specimens anything they like."
The dodo, which has long been a symbol of extinction, will "come to life" in the virtual world.
Other specimens include the narwhal and bluefin whale skeletons, a preserved cockroach, and even an Ichthyostega model—a long-extinct ancestor of four-legged animals. The AI can communicate in over 20 languages, making it accessible to a global audience.
