Artificial intelligence in interactive showrooms – 3 promising approaches

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into showrooms and exhibitions opens the door to unprecedented interaction experiences. Neural networks and their capabilities are developing at a breathtaking pace. But how can companies and brands benefit from this development in their showrooms? In this article, we present three promising approaches to integrating AI into showrooms and interactive exhibitions to enhance the user experience. The aim is to inspire showroom and brand managers to make the most of AI technologies.

3 ideas for AI-powered presentations

1. AI demonstrators: combining technology and experience

AI demonstrators are key to making neural networks tangible and understandable to visitors. They can make abstract and hard-to-understand technology tangible. For example, a demonstrator could be a robotic arm that uses real-time data processing and machine learning to mimic the hand movements of visitors. This demonstrator not only illustrates the learning and adaptability of artificial intelligence, but also enables an understanding of its practical applications.

Visitors to the ARIC showroom in Hamburg can try out two Lufthansa demonstrators: The “Baggage Control AI” demonstrator clearly shows how baggage handling systems can benefit from artificial intelligence. Another camera-based visitor flow analysis demonstrator, Visitor Prediction AI, records and analyses visitors themselves in the showroom.

2. Speech interaction: human-machine dialogue

Text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies enable a particularly natural and human form of interaction. One example is an AI-powered information pillar that can answer questions in near real-time and provide information in multiple languages. This allows visitors to interact with the AI by voice and find out what it can and cannot do by simply trying it out.
Interfaces such as ChatGPT are already capable of two-way dialogue. However, at the moment there are still delays in responses, so a fluid conversation is not yet possible.
However, multimodal AI models that can directly process input in the form of speech or images will soon be available. They will no longer have to take the detour of first processing the input and output as text and then processing it further. This can drastically reduce the latency times that are still a problem today. In the future, instead of a real person guiding visitors through the showroom and answering questions, an AI-driven “host” could take over.

3. AI-driven content and media creation: focus on personalisation

Personalised content is critical to the success of a modern showroom. By analysing data, AI can generate content that is precisely tailored to visitors’ questions and interests. For example, interactive displays can adapt content based on a visitor’s age, gender or even preferences, creating a highly personalised experience.
Of course, visitors can also be directly involved in working with a generative AI. In this showcase of the Van Gogh immersive exhibition, visitors’ drawings are transformed into a Van Gogh painting. This is made possible by the deep learning image generator Stable Diffusion.

Responsible use of AI

The responsible use of AI, in compliance with data protection and the GDPR, is crucial. Particularly in Germany, showroom operators must ensure that AI applications comply with these guidelines and restrictions. This includes transparent terms of use and privacy notices, as well as careful selection of the data that can be used for AI processing.
They should also be aware that when using external cloud-based services, the data leaves their own sphere of influence. It is important to carefully review the terms and conditions of use and the legal situation in the provider’s country of origin.

Conclusion – Opportunities for AI in showrooms

• AI demonstrators enable innovative experiences and promote understanding
• Multimodal AI models will enable natural user communication in the future
• Real-time AI analytics can generate personalised content
• Be mindful of privacy and GDPR compliance in your showroom