Talk to Alan Turing
Since December 2025, an Alan Turing AI has been part of the permanent exhibition at the Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt, giving visitors a new way to explore computing and artificial intelligence through conversation.
© Museum für Kommunikation FrankfurtCreating an Alan Turing AI museum experience
In December 2025 the Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt opened two AI islands in its permanent exhibition “Mediengeschichte(n) neu erzählt”.
“Automatisiertes Bauchgefühl” explores what AI can get wrong: bias in training data, misinformation and their effect on public debate. “Beziehungskisten” looks at a hundred years of people treating machines as companions, from the speaking clock and Bärbel the talking doll to Tamagotchi and Aibo.
For an exhibition taking a critical look at AI, using AI itself had to be handled carefully. The museum needed to stay in control of what the character knew and said.
Opening Exhibition: Alan Turing
A special opening event celebrating the life, ideas and legacy of Alan Turing. The opening brought together history, technology and immersive storytelling, giving visitors a new way to engage with Turing’s groundbreaking work and its lasting impact on our digital world.
Watch highlights from the opening exhibition below.
What we built
A speaking portrait of Alan Turing, reconstructed digitally from a historical photograph and placed on the “Automatisiertes Bauchgefühl” island.
Visitors ask him about his work, the beginnings of the computer and the foundations of artificial intelligence. He answers live, with computer vision, speech processing, a language model, speech synthesis and real-time animation working together.
Developed with MESO & videoreality. Supported by TÜV Süd Foundation, Hessian Centre for Political Education and Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain.
Controlled AI for museums
Curator-defined sources
Curators defined the sources and discussion topics.
Strict boundaries
Clear rules for off-topic and provocative questions.
Controlled tone
Tone and answer length set in advance.
Tested before launch
Fully tested, and the character never learns from visitors.
Alan Turing success story
Turing has become one of the most popular offerings in the permanent exhibition.
The project is shortlisted for the DigAMus Award 2026, the award for digital museum projects in the German-speaking region, run with the Deutscher Museumsbund, NFDI4Culture, MFG and TIB. Winners are announced on 9 November 2026 in Bochum.
The installation shows how an AI-Powered Digital Human can make complex topics such as artificial intelligence, computing history and digital technology more accessible through conversation.
The project bridges the gap between historical computing and modern interactive dialogue, offering museum guests a deeply engaging educational encounter.
In the news
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What is the interactive Alan Turing?
An AI-powered Digital Human reconstructed from a historical photograph, part of the permanent exhibition at the Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt.
What can visitors ask Alan Turing?
About his work, the beginnings of the computer, the foundations of artificial intelligence, and the exhibition’s themes such as bias and misinformation.
How is the Alan Turing AI controlled?
Curators defined the sources, topics, tone and answer length, plus strict boundaries for off-topic questions. He does not learn from visitors.
Where can visitors meet him?
At the Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt, on the “Automatisiertes Bauchgefühl” AI island of the permanent exhibition.
Can Talking Paintings AI be used in permanent exhibitions?
Yes. It starts automatically each day, runs on-premise if needed, and your team updates its knowledge in the Character Editor.
Bring an AI-powered Digital Human to your museum
Give visitors a new way to explore your stories through conversation.