Thanks to the wonders of artificial intelligence (AI) the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) is hosting a pilot project that allows you to have a whole conversation with a painting. The project has been developed by a local company, Lean Mean Learning Machine, which focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The first painting you can talk to is "The Cattle Shed" by Jenny Montigny, which depicts a farmer's wife.
Talk to a painting at MSK Museum in Ghent thanks to artificial intelligence (VIDEO)
Colin Clapson
Published:
Have you always wanted to talk to a painting? Today you can do so at the MSK in Ghent. The project allows visitors to interact with paintings through AI. "We were approached by Lean Mean Learning Machine. They have been working with AI for some time and wanted to introduce the technology to a museum. At around the same time, we also saw examples abroad. So the timing was perfect," says MSK’s Madelein Descamps.
"In the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands they were already working with artificial intelligence, but for Belgium this is a first," Descamps notes.
"Lean Mean Learning Machine has placed a small box with a button and microphone in front of the painting. You can press the button and ask a question. Soundboxes in the box allow an AI-generated voice to respond to your query. No question is too crazy for the device. You can ask questions about Jenny Montigny, the style of work, but also about the number pi."
MSK has long been looking for new ways to reach its audience. "We know that people like to learn in different ways than just merely reading texts in a museum. By letting people ask questions about a painting, we learn what visitors want to know about the art."
A second painting will be added soon: the "Seated Woman at the Window" by Rik Wouters. The woman in the painting will then be able to answer all visitors' questions.