If only statues could talk… Well, at Versailles, they can. In a clever, techy move, a new app allows visitors to converse with 20 statues dotted around the palace gardens, including Apollo and Cupid riding on a Sphinx. Powered by the artificial intelligence (AI) platform Ask Mona and the tech giant OpenAI, the app allows visitors to speak with 20 statues in three languages.
“Each exchange reveals anecdotes, historical accounts and often little-known details, enriching our exploration of the gardens and our understanding of Versailles’ heritage,” according to a press statement.
A reporter for The New York Times tried out the device, describing how a teenage boy asked the statue of Cupid, god of love: “Will I ever be rich?” The response? “Ah, becoming rich is an enigma that even my Sphinx is unable to solve! But remember: the source of true riches is, perhaps, love, which subdues all of life’s enigmas.”
Maybe he should of asked Apollo instead.
