About

Located in the heart of Paris, the Centre Pompidou is one of the world’s most iconic institutions for modern and contemporary art. Home to the Musée national d’art moderne, it welcomes over 3 million visitors each year through a diverse program of exhibitions, live performances, film screenings, and educational activities.

Goals: Deliver a more fluid, interactive, and accessible visit

After retiring its mobile app — which was rarely downloaded and difficult to use — the Centre Pompidou turned to Ask Mona to:

• Provide a new, user-friendly way to explore the museum
• Offer a more engaging mediation experience, especially for younger audiences
• Showcase rich editorial content (podcasts, videos, texts) already produced by the institution
• Build a flexible, no-download solution that works both remotely and on-site

The solution: A conversational assistant powered by AI

Co-designed with the museum’s team, the Centre Pompidou chatbot is available in French and English, and supports visitors before and during their visit.

Before the visit: a service integrated into the museum’s website

The chatbot is accessible via the Centre Pompidou website, where it helps visitors prepare for their visit by answering key questions:
opening hours, ticketing, access, current exhibitions, and more.

During the visit: a seamless experience via a no-download web app

Once on-site, visitors can use the chatbot directly from their phone via a web app, without having to download anything.

They simply take a photo of any artwork and send it to the chatbot. Using visual recognition technology, the bot identifies the piece and provides enriched, interactive storytelling through:

• Artwork insights
• Audio clips
• Videos
• Anecdotes and curated references

Expanded use in the Brancusi temporary exhibition

The chatbot was also deployed in the Brancusi temporary exhibition. For this initiative, the generative AI was trained using curated content for each artwork — including wall texts, curatorial notes, and mediation resources.

The museum's curatorial team approved the content and praised the accuracy and coherence of the chatbot’s answers, which aligned with the institution’s tone and scientific standards.

Key Results

• 17,000 users in just 2 months
• 30,000 photos of artworks sent to the chatbot
• Thousands of daily users
• 20% of all visitors use the tool during their visit
• Over 150 artworks identified via visual recognition AI
• High engagement, particularly among younger, tech-savvy audiences

In summary

With this conversational assistant, the Centre Pompidou has redefined how visitors interact with its collections — offering a richer, more dynamic, and personalized experience, accessible from any smartphone.

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