Google’s virtual museum experiences gamify history

What if museum artifacts could talk? Google Arts & Culture Lab explores this concept with The Talking Museum, a Gemini-assisted experience that lets you get an up-close look at almost 200 3D cultural objects — and ask them questions. Google Arts & Culture Lab is also debuting Museum Memory, an interactive game that challenges players to restore scrambled art gallery exhibitions.

Both experiments are part of Google Arts & Culture Lab’s artist residency program and ongoing efforts to utilize technology to connect people to culture in new ways.

The Talking Museum brings artifacts to life.

Google Arts & Culture Lab artist in residence Lex Fefegha created The Talking Museum to bring an array of cultural objects — spanning prehistoric times to the present day — into a virtual study room.

The Talking Museum invites you to explore more than 190 cultural artifacts from Google Arts & Culture partners. Browse artifacts by size, material, or era, and bring individual artifacts into your virtual study room. Uncover the history of each artifact by listening to Gemini-powered audio commentary, and ask questions as you zoom in on or rotate each piece for a full 360-degree view. Hotspots help you discover unique points of interest as Gemini guides you through the stories behind the artifacts.