China Science and Technology Museum expands AI assistant program across 13 provinces

CSTM’s AI-powered museum assistants are reshaping visitor engagement and science education in China.

Visitors observe a robot dog performance at a science and technology museum in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China, on January 31, 2025. Photo by Jin Peng/Antara

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

The China Science and Technology Museum AI assistant program is gaining national traction. On Sunday, April 6, the China Science and Technology Museum (CSTM) announced that it has successfully supported the rollout of AI-powered assistants in 13 provincial-level science and technology museums across the country. This move is set to revolutionize the way people interact with museums and how scientific knowledge is shared.

The focus of this expansion is to enhance the visitor experience through intelligent, interactive engagement. These smart assistants—built using advanced large-model AI—are not only helping visitors navigate exhibitions but are also capable of answering scientific questions and explaining complex concepts in simple terms. This dual function bridges the gap between technology and education in a meaningful and exciting way.

Pioneering the future of museum interaction

In November 2024, CSTM launched China’s first AI-powered museum assistant. It was a milestone moment for the integration of artificial intelligence in public education. By combining popular science content with advanced language models, the assistant offered something no traditional exhibit ever could: personalized, real-time engagement.

Visitors could ask questions about the exhibits, request directions to different parts of the museum, or even engage in deeper scientific discussions. The assistant’s ability to respond naturally made it an instant hit, especially among younger visitors and school groups.

Encouraged by the overwhelming response, CSTM set its sights on a broader rollout.

National training and local customization

Since March, the China Science and Technology Museum has been working with technical teams from 13 provincial museums, providing extensive training through workshops and collaborative sessions. These workshops have helped museum staff understand how to use and implement the technology effectively.

Each participating museum was encouraged to build its own customized knowledge base, tailored to their specific exhibits and local interests. The AI assistants are designed to adapt to different environments, so a museum focusing on marine biology can train its assistant on ocean ecosystems, while a museum featuring aerospace might focus on space exploration.

This level of customization ensures that the AI assistant isn't just a one-size-fits-all tool but a specialized guide for every museum visitor.

Enhancing educational outreach

A standout feature of the China Science and Technology Museum AI assistant program is its capability to reach beyond the museum walls. The assistants are accessible remotely, allowing students and teachers to ask scientific questions and receive detailed, accurate answers.

This makes the program a powerful educational tool. In rural areas or under-resourced schools where access to science museums is limited, AI assistants provide a virtual gateway to quality science education. CSTM officials see this remote learning potential as a key pillar in future expansion.

By supporting lifelong learning and fostering curiosity in young minds, the program aligns with China’s broader national goals of technological innovation and educational equality.

Building a national AI-powered museum network

The recent expansion is just the beginning. A spokesperson from CSTM noted that as more museums join the initiative, the AI ecosystem will grow richer and more diverse. With each new deployment, the assistants gain more contextual knowledge and experience, learning from visitor interactions and refining their answers over time.

Eventually, the goal is to create a nationwide network of smart museum assistants that operate with seamless integration, offering a consistent yet locally relevant experience for users across China. This could transform how citizens engage with science and history—making it more interactive, more accessible, and more fun.

The CSTM spokesperson emphasized that the strength of this network lies in its adaptability. “As technology advances and our AI model evolves,” they said, “the assistant will continue to grow in sophistication. It’s not just about answering questions anymore—it’s about creating a dialogue between science and society.”

Visitor experiences are changing fast

Feedback from visitors has been overwhelmingly positive. Many note that the AI assistants make museum trips feel more like conversations than lectures. Children are particularly engaged, often asking dozens of questions without feeling intimidated or shy.

For parents and teachers, this engagement is a welcome shift from traditional museum learning, which can sometimes feel static or overwhelming. Instead of reading wall texts or waiting for scheduled tours, visitors now have an always-available, friendly AI companion to guide them at their own pace.

This interactive model could be a game-changer for how museums operate. Rather than being passive halls of knowledge, museums are becoming dynamic spaces where learning is active, conversational, and tailored to each individual.

Broader implications for AI in public spaces

The China Science and Technology Museum AI assistant program isn’t just a story about museums—it’s a glimpse into the future of public services in general. By embedding AI into everyday experiences like museum visits, China is exploring how artificial intelligence can enhance education, tourism, and civic life.

Museums have long been places where science and culture intersect. With this initiative, they are becoming proving grounds for how AI can work in harmony with human curiosity.

As more institutions follow CSTM’s lead, the boundaries of what’s possible with AI will continue to expand. From libraries and schools to parks and government buildings, the idea of smart assistants may soon be the norm rather than the exception.

What’s next for CSTM’s AI vision?

Looking ahead, CSTM plans to keep expanding the program to more provinces, eventually making AI-powered assistance standard in every science and technology museum across China. They are also exploring multilingual capabilities to support international visitors and partnerships with tech firms to ensure continual upgrades to the system.

Moreover, there are discussions about integrating augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) into future AI systems, further enriching the visitor experience with immersive environments and lifelike simulations.

In a world where digital transformation is accelerating, the China Science and Technology Museum AI assistant program is a powerful example of innovation with purpose—technology that educates, empowers, and engages. As this initiative continues to grow, it’s not just museums that are changing—it’s how we learn, interact, and imagine the future.