New AI tools at the Canadian Museum of History are designed to make collections more accessible, interactive and responsive to visitors’ needs.Supplied
Museums are most often places where visitors go to look backward in an attempt to understand what came before. But many Canadian institutions are now experimenting with a distinctly forward-looking technology, as they begin to leverage the power of artificial intelligence to help bring history to life in new ways.
Jenny Ellison, the manager of digital engagement strategy and publications at the Canadian Museum of History, says that adopting AI is part of the museum’s responsibility as a Canadian institution.
“It’s our job to stay abreast of technological developments and harness them where we can to connect with our audiences.”
AI’s growing role in the cultural sector took centre stage at UNESCO’s 43rd general meeting in December, which brought together cultural heritage leaders and AI experts from around the world to examine its impact on the future of museums. At the meeting, Yannick Lintz, the director of the Musée Guimet in France, echoed Ms. Ellison’s sentiment about the museum sector’s responsibility when it comes to AI.
“A museum is a preserver of humanity’s heritage,” he says. “If we preserve this heritage, we do so in order that we can share it with everyone, because it belongs to all humankind. It is therefore for these two purposes – preservation and accessibility – that we must seize the opportunity offered by artificial intelligence.”
At the Canadian Museum of History, the principles of preservation, accessibility and engagement are moving from philosophy to practice through MUSEO, the museum’s new AI-assisted chatbot. In its pilot phase, MUSEO is currently equipped to illuminate the history of 10 objects in Gallery 3 of the Canadian History Hall. Visitors can scan the QR code and ask it questions, allowing them to engage with a piece on a more personal level.
“What I hope to do with a project like this is empower the visitor,” Ms. Ellison says. “That’s one of the ways digital tools can really enhance a museum visit, by helping visitors form a deeper connection with the work.”
Video: Meet MUSEO, the new chatbot at the Canadian Museum of History!
The museum experience is also shifting in response to changing expectations around accessibility and engagement. Tools such as MUSEO add sensory and interactive layers to the gallery visit, allowing you to ask questions using a microphone rather than just typing, hear answers read aloud and engage with content without relying on text, all features that broaden access for people with different abilities and learning styles.
According to a 2025 survey of Canadian museum audiences, digitization is also playing a role in renewing interest among visitors, particularly as cultural spaces compete with the immersive, on-demand environments people are now accustomed to. Ms. Ellison sees AI-assisted tools, such as MUSEO, “meeting the audience where they are.”
The benefits of MUSEO are both public-facing and internal, placing the expertise of the Canadian Museum of History’s curatorial team front and centre – an important distinction at a time when AI is often associated with job loss. Because the tool is a closed large language model (LLM), it draws exclusively from the museum’s verified knowledge base rather than the open internet, making the original research of curatorial staff essential to generating the chatbot’s responses.
“The technology isn’t driving this project,” she says. “The expertise is.”
Traditionally, museum labels are physically limited to just 30 to 50 words. Yet when an object is acquired, curators produce extensive files containing in-depth research. MUSEO now allows the museum to make that breadth of research available to the public.
While there is a strong emphasis on protecting institutional authority and human expertise as AI gathers momentum, adopting the technology raises other important ethical considerations. Dnyanesh Kamat, the senior manager of advocacy at the Canadian Museum Association, says museums will need to stress-test AI systems to ensure bias is not embedded in algorithms or training data.
The Canadian Museum of History addresses these concerns by using Ask Mona, a chatbot solution created specifically for museums, which provides a closed LLM with built-in safeguards and bias-aware design. To further ensure ethical communication, MUSEO is trained on the museum’s internal style guide, which governs language around gender, ethnicity and ability. The chatbot also underwent a seven-month internal testing period, during which staff closely monitored responses to make sure it accurately addressed topics such as Indigenous communities, gender and sexuality.
As museums continue to navigate the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence, MUSEO offers a glimpse of what responsible adoption can look like. By grounding AI in curatorial expertise, ethical safeguards and institutional values, the Canadian Museum of History is testing a model that deepens public engagement while preserving trust and transparency.
Ultimately, Ms. Ellison sees the technology as a way to “showcase all the work that’s being done” behind the scenes, transforming a standard gallery visit into a deeper, more accessible and multi-layered exploration of history.