Choose the right character experience for your audience
Bring artworks, historical characters, experts, hosts and brand characters to life. Lite tells a fully prepared story, written, recorded and approved before launch. AI holds real conversations: visitors ask in their own words, and the character stays inside knowledge boundaries your team defines.
Lite · Joseph Haydn
AI · Mona Lisa
AI Digital Humans with knowledge you control.
You decide what they know, how they speak and what they won't answer.
Every conversation is unique. Every experience becomes a living memory.
Two ways to bring a character to life
Talking Paintings Lite
Animated characters with controlled storytelling
A character experience with prepared animation, real voice and approved content. The character speaks, moves and tells its story exactly as planned, the same way for every visitor. Runs offline, with a simple installation.
Lite Plus: visitors choose topics or questions on a touchscreen, button or menu, and the character plays the matching prepared answer.
Best for
- Storytelling
- High-traffic locations
- Atmospheric installations
- Eye-catching character moments
Talking Paintings AI
AI-Powered Digital Humans with real conversations
A character your audience can actually talk to. Visitors ask in their own words, in 32+ languages, and the Digital Human answers in real time from knowledge your team approves. It explains, handles follow-up questions and adapts the conversation, always inside defined boundaries.
After launch: your team keeps the character current in the Character Editor: add facts, upload documents and adjust behaviour, without a new production round.
Best for
- Interactive exhibitions
- Open exploration
- Multilingual dialogue
- Deeper engagement
Lite, Lite Plus and AI
| LitePrepared story | Lite PlusGuided story | AIReal conversation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main experience | Prepared storytelling | Guided storytelling | Real conversation |
| Visitor input | Starts on approach, trigger or sensor | Menu, button, touchscreen or sensor | Speech via push-to-talk button; text or touch on request |
| Visitor questions | No | Prepared questions and topics | Open questions, in their own words |
| Follow-up questions | No | No | Yes |
| Content source | Recorded during production | Recorded during production | Written live from approved knowledge |
| Animation | Rendered during production | Rendered during production | Rendered live, with lip sync |
| Voice | Recorded | Recorded | Generated with every answer |
| Content approval | Full approval before launch | Full approval before launch | Knowledge, tone and boundaries approved before launch |
| Languages | As recorded | As recorded | 32+, switchable during the conversation |
| Speech recognition | No | No | Yes |
| Computer vision | No | Optional presence detection | Optional eye contact, no identification |
| Personality touches | No | No | Greetings, thinking sounds, idle lines, gentle nudges |
| Analytics | Interaction counts | Interaction counts and topic choices | Optional question insights; visitor text not stored by default |
| Updates after launch | New production | New production | Your team, via the Character Editor |
| Network | Runs offline | Runs offline | Offline with On-Premise; Hybrid or online possible |
| Installation | Simpler | Simpler | More involved |
Swipe the table sideways to see all three formats →
What does your team need to provide?
We handle the character, production, hardware and installation. Here is what we'll need from your side.
Lite AI
Start simple and upgrade later?
Yes, the character concept carries over. The two formats are built differently, so moving to AI means additional work:
- Knowledge preparation
- Conversation design
- AI setup and voice integration
- Testing
- Hardware and support requirements
We recommend choosing the format for the experience you want visitors to have from day one.
Three questions about your visitors
Choose Lite
Should every visitor hear the same story?
When you want a prepared story, control over every sentence, an identical experience for every visitor and a simple installation.
Choose Lite Plus
Should visitors steer the story?
When visitors should choose what they hear, but every answer stays written, recorded and approved in advance.
Choose AI
Should visitors ask their own questions?
When visitors should ask anything, follow up and take the topic in their own direction, in their own language.
Two ways to get started
Rent an existing Talking Paintings character
Ideal for short-term exhibitions, events and pop-ups
A cost-effective, time-efficient way in: rent a ready-to-use character from our collection, with software, standard hardware and setup included. The full interactive experience, without customisation or long-term commitment.
Create a custom Talking Paintings character
Ideal for permanent exhibitions, unique artworks and brand experiences
A fully tailored character designed around your concept. Define the character, content and interaction to match your audience, venue and long-term goals.
In the news
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Real characters, real institutions.
Alan Turing
Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt. Shortlisted for the DigAMus Award 2026.
Read the Case Study →
Joseph Haydn
Schloss Esterházy and Burg Forchtenstein. A Talking Paintings Lite character.
Read the Case Study →
Prince Esterházy
Schloss Esterházy, Eisenstadt. Shares his own family history with visitors today.
Read the Case Study →
Vincent van Gogh
Created for “Vincent: Between Madness & Wonder” by Alegria Exhibition.
Read the Case Study →
Alfred for MERCK
A Digital Human brand host. Created once and used in Darmstadt and South Korea.
Read the Case Study →
Common questions
Short answers to what institutions, attractions and brands ask us most.
Read all FAQsWhat is the difference between Lite and AI?
Lite delivers content that is written, recorded and animated before launch, so every visitor experiences the same story. AI answers in real time from a knowledge base your team approves, so visitors can ask their own questions and keep the conversation going.
Is AI always the better choice?
No. Lite is the better choice when you need complete control over every sentence, a simple installation and a consistent experience. AI is the better choice when visitors should explore freely and have individual conversations.
Can we start with Lite and move to AI later?
Yes, the character concept can carry over into an AI version. Moving to AI still needs knowledge preparation, conversation design, AI setup, voice integration, testing and different technical requirements, so choose the format for the experience you want from the start.
Can both formats use the same character?
Yes. The same character concept can be developed as Lite or AI. The difference is the type of interaction the experience is designed for.
How much does a Talking Paintings project cost?
It depends on the character, content scope, animation, voice, languages, hardware, installation and additional features. Because Lite and AI involve different production processes, the best first step is a short conversation about your project.
Find the right Talking Paintings solution
Tell us about your artwork, character, exhibition or brand experience. We will help you choose the right format for your audience, space and goals.