An app to 'talk' to a kebaya? Peranakan Museum partners with OpenAI to let you do just that

CNA

30-05-2025

Museum visits can be semi-intimidating. You listen to a passionate docent tell you about an artefact's rich history. Then at the end of the tour, they ask: Any questions?
You have several. Why is a vase pink? Why does the man look so sad in the photograph? Why do these people have their portrait displayed in a museum? But of course, you don't ask. Because you don't want to come off stupid.
Instead, you ask how the artefact influenced a certain ethic group's identity in modern day. It makes you sound well-informed, you believe.
But a museum visit should encourage curiosity, not stem it.
And it's this belief that forms the basis of artificial intelligence (AI) organisation OpenAI's first museum partnership in Asia with Singapore's Peranakan Museum, announced at the OpenAI Forum during tech event ATxSummit on Thursday (May 29).
The pilot collaboration with Ask Mona – a French AI studio that uses an OpenAI large language model to enhance cultural experiences – will allow visitors to 'speak' with certain museum artefacts via AI-generated conversations on Ask Mona's web app, accessible on any mobile device. It will be available till Jul 6.
Selected artefacts include traditional Peranakan attire, a kamcheng jar (a type of porcelain storage jar that's often decorated) and several pictures depicting various aspects and key personalities of Peranakan culture.
For instance, with the kebaya, I posed Ask Mona a question one may hesitate to ask out loud: 'Why does a kebaya look so uncomfortable to wear?'
Its response, generated after a few seconds, read: 'The kebaya might seem uncomfortable due to its form-fitting design. This style became popular in the 1930s.
'The kebaya is often made with translucent European fabrics. These fabrics can appear delicate and restrictive. Historically, it was a loose-fitting garment, evolving over time. Its design reflects a blend of cultural influences, making it unique.
'The kebaya is paired with a sarong or kain panjang, adding to its elegance.'
TWO-WAY CONVERSATIONS
This AI technology, to be clear, isn't the same as having a digital screen display information about an exhibit or listening to an audio narration about an artefact's history.
Such methods remain helpful in engaging museum goers. But they can 'feel like a one-way conversation', said Lum Jia Yi, assistant director of audience, communications and digital at the Peranakan Museum.
'With Ask Mona, audiences get to ask their questions. And we get to find out their train of thought (that) helps us shape what audiences are trying to find out about the collections, and (understand) how we can present our materials better.'
Ultimately, the museum aims to make its collections and culture 'more accessible to the general audience', not least since the Peranakan culture is a 'living, breathing culture that's constantly evolving', Lum added.
And since audiences are constantly on their phone, the AI technology simply allows them to interact with the museum 'in a way that they are comfortable with'.
While ATxSummit attendees got to see the initiative up close alongside the artefacts, which were brought to the summit, the experience isn't currently available at the Peranakan Museum itself.
Non-attendees can access the experience by joining the OpenAI Forum community at forum.openai.com, where they will receive a link to the Ask Mona web app. They can then "speak" with the various Peranakan Museum artefacts listed in the app - from anywhere in the world.
On one hand, such experiences make museums more accessible, allowing anyone the opportunity to learn about other cultures at their own pace - and without the fear of judgement. Understandably, this may then beg the question: Will AI eventually replace the need for human docents?
In short, no, said CEO and co-founder of Ask Mona, Marion Carre.
Not only does she believe we need to move beyond the classic opposition of human versus AI, she has also observed that most people use such AI technology to start conversations with friends and family about their museum experience.
Some museums have even told Carre that people used to look at artwork for three to five seconds on average – but with the likes of Ask Mona, they now spend three to five minutes interacting with an artwork.
'We're really about using AI to improve the museum experience globally,' she told CNA Lifestyle.
Her team also ensures that all data fed into OpenAI's large language model used by Ask Mona strictly comes from the museum, which means anticipating the questions visitors may actually have at each exhibit.
USING AI FOR CULTURE AND HERITAGE
Crucially, the partnership reveals the possibilities of using AI beyond the typical spaces of the classroom and the workplace.
What's not often explored is the impact that AI can have to 'bring people closer to culture and heritage', said Sandy Kunvatanagarn, head of Asia-Pacific policy at OpenAI.
'Inspired by that and the fact that this year is SG60, we thought it'd be a perfect opportunity to really see how we can use AI technology and the Peranakan Museum's focus on accessibility and community – and combine that with the work that Ask Mona has been doing around the world – to bring everybody together to have a conversation about the richness of Peranakan culture.
'Not just in Singapore, but through the web app (which gives people) the ability to access it all around the world.'
OpenAI believes AI has the power to change many aspects of life, Kunvatanagarn added, 'but one thing that is consistent, and that should be for everybody, is culture and understanding their own heritage'.
'If AI can play a part in language preservation or cultural accessibility, or whatever it is that people want to learn about who they are, we think there's a place for AI to be in that. And it's done by working with partners who are experts in this space, and us providing the tools to make it happen.'