Artificial Intelligence, Like a Robot, Enhances Museum Experiences

This year, three Washington-based museums of the Smithsonian Institution deployed a half-dozen four-feet-tall, humanoid robots, nicknamed Pepper, to answer visitors' questions and tell stories, using voice, gestures and an interactive touch screen. They also dance, play games and pose for selfies. Rachel Goslins, director of the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building and overseer of the robots' deployment, said she has been "blown away" by visitors' reactions to them. Pepper, she added, "feels totally aligned with the museums' mission. We are asking people to be present, engaged, to have a communal experience. We're not making you look at your phone even more; we're creating a playful, joyful human experience."