OpenAI Forum Presents Living Histories: AI as a Bridge to Cultural Heritage, Memory, and Belonging

Visitors at the Peranakan Museum can now use AI to talk directly with iconic museum artifacts, exploring the rich narratives and cultural heritage behind each piece.

This experience is made possible through a groundbreaking collaboration between OpenAI, the Peranakan Museum, and Ask Mona, where visitors can use AI to engage in real-time conversations with the museum’s most iconic objects. By simply scanning a QR code next to each piece, they can initiate a multilingual conversation—directly from their smartphones, at their own pace. This partnership shows how AI can enhance our connection to heritage, turning museums into interactive places for storytelling and shared memories.

Whether curious about the delicate embroidery of a kebaya, or the traditional significance of a kamcheng porcelain jar, visitors can ask their own questions about iconic pieces and receive personalized answers. This technology transforms a traditional museum visit into an interactive experience, encouraging deeper connections to Peranakan heritage and creating a shared sense of cultural belonging. These living interactions invite visitors to explore not just the artifacts, but the histories, stories, and identities they represent. 

By making select objects from the Peranakan Museum collection accessible outside the museum itself, we open the door for people around the world to explore and appreciate Southeast Asia’s cultural heritage.

During the OpenAI Forum event in the Capella, you’ll get an intimate introduction to the people responsible for this collaboration, and a tour of the AI app built for the Peranakan. We’ll hear from a senior representative of the Peranakan Museum, CEO and Co-Founder of the Parisian startup Ask Mona who built the AI app, Marion Carré, and OpenAI’s Sandy Kunvatanagarn, who leads APAC policy. Everyone who attends is invited to join OpenAI’s exclusive community of experts, the OpenAI Forum. 

“At Ask Mona, we design AI-powered experiences that democratize access to culture and make discovery more personal. This collaboration with the Peranakan Museum and OpenAI allows visitors to explore the richness of Peranakan identity in a new way—guided by curiosity, shaped by conversation. It’s an invitation to learn, reflect, and connect more intimately with heritage through the power of generative AI.” — Marion Carré, Co-founder and President of Ask Mona"