Sound generator tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) create sound based on a given source image. It made us wonder — how would AI logics represent what a museum sounds like?
An interdisciplinary project supported by Critical Labour Critical Futures and run by Dr Cate Alexander and PhD Candidate Lauren Knight, investigates the intersection of museums, sound studies, and artificial intelligence as they outline a new interdisciplinary methodology for sampling sound in museums and the results of their autoethnographic experiments with AI.
Susan Stewart argued in 1999 that museums have historically served as “empires of sight.” However, now in 2025, specialized museums increasingly incorporate audio technologies into their exhibits. They argue that these technologies increase accessibility, dismantle colonial empires of sight, and broaden the possibilities of accessing cultural heritage through other sensory modalities. These audio technologies thus foster unique possibilities for affective experiential processing.
Through their work they ask: In what ways does the use of sound embolden immersive and affective relationships to cultural heritage in museums? How does the addition of sonic media in these spaces subvert or challenge the dominance of visual material in museums?
In July 2025, they presented their findings at the Digital Humanities 2025 Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
Click here to read the full piece and hear the AI engineered soundscapes.
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