With AI tools rapidly proliferating across society and reaching every industry and genre, science centers and museums appear to stand at a familiar crossroads: should we embrace technology to adapt our exhibits and programs in order to “compete” with the latest media or entertainment technology, or should we somehow position ourselves apart from such innovations, and continue pursuing the physical authenticity that has long been our strength?

At Roto, we answer these critical questions by first examining why visitors attend museums, studying trends in popular attractions and attendance, and interpreting what these signals reveal about the future of museums.

We are thoroughly convinced the “crossroads” facing museums is an illusion. There is no choice to be made here between embracing new technology tools that we are just now beginning to understand and remaining committed to what has always made museums popular in the past. Both remain critical to our success as strategic planners, designers, and creators. What looks like a “crossroads” is instead a broad vista looking outward to the horizon at a bold and exciting future.

We know visitors come to museums for the opportunity to examine the real world through authentic artifacts, live demonstrations, living animals, natural phenomena, and spaces that invite discovery. They come to learn together, to be inspired, and to experience something meaningful and memorable alongside people they care about. Visitors return for what feels genuine, surprising, and deeply human. This is the essence of museum relevance, and it is not going away.

Meanwhile, the market for new physically immersive experiences is booming, as seen in the proliferation of “immersive art” venues like Immersive Van Gogh, Meow Wolf, and Superblue, and plans by brands like Netflix to open location-based mediacentric attractions. Within this landscape of evolving cultural experiences, some trends signal promise: growing demand for immersive, socially shared spaces; the success of family-focused, curiosity-driven content; and renewed interest in museum-based learning as a counterbalance to screen fatigue. The question is not whether people will come, but whether destinations can deliver what people want most.

At Roto, we believe the future of location-based learning and entertainment relies on delivering what is impossible to deliver through streaming services and video game consoles: physically immersive supersensory experiences that cater to socially-engaged adults and families with meaningful ideas in real time.

As cultural institutions, museums are uniquely positioned to meet this demand. They remain one of the last public realms where people of all ages and backgrounds gather in person to explore, learn, reflect, and be amazed. This makes them especially suited to blending physically immersive, supersensory experiences with hands-on learning. Our collective task, then, is to harness every tool at our disposal, including emerging technologies, to reach broader audiences.

When deployed with purpose and care, advanced tools—applied not for spectacle alone but in service of storytelling, emotional impact, and social connection—can transform the visitor experience. These tools include immersive projection, spatial sound, custom lighting, haptics, and what Roto calls creative design technologies: video game engines adapted for exhibition simulation, immersion and interactivity—and yes, AI. In the museum context, however, their role is never to distract. Their purpose is to immerse, to extend visitor perception and agency, and to provoke shared moments of surprise and meaning.

These are not the digital diversions available on phones or gaming consoles. They are something wholly different: supersensory, physical, and collective experiences that use the language of today’s world—interactivity, personalization, responsiveness—to deepen education, insight, and empathy. When paired with authentic collections, distinctive phenomena, and bold interpretation, the result is transformative.

Creative design technologies and advanced tools therefore are not a departure from the mission of museums. They are a chance to reaffirm it, with an expanded set of instruments and mediums that allow us to ignite curiosity, deepen understanding, and forge human connection at a scale and with an immediacy that aligns with today’s world.

At Roto, we are experimenting non-stop with these tools and applications. We stand on the edge of a vast horizon. Should we embrace technology? Should we double-down on physical, tactile experience? The answer is yes—and yes. The museums that will thrive in the coming decade will be those that stay rooted in what they do best—authenticity, physicality, storytelling, connection—while using new tools to do it better, bolder, and more memorably than ever before.

A Vista of Opportunity: How Museums Can Thrive in the Age of AI

Share

Latest News

Roto to soft launch Prototype cultural lab this autumn

A Vista of Opportunity: How Museums Can Thrive in the Age of AI

Roto brings expertise to California Science Center’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center

Let's reshape the futureof museums and attractions

Let's reshape the future
of museums and attractions