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While virtual reality and augmented reality are becoming increasingly popular ways to add a more immersive touch to attractions and heritage sites (see CA 430, 427, 423, 406, and 390), some exhibitions are beginning to draw on artificial intelligence (AI) to create digital representations of people from the past who can ‘speak’ to visitors and provide real-time answers to their questions. As this technology evolves, it raises thought-provoking questions about the ethics of animating (and putting words into the mouths of) real individuals, as well as how to ensure quality control if Large Language Models (LLM) are used to scour the internet for answers to a visitor’s question. In terms of bringing the past to life in an excitingly engaging and accessible way, however, these innovations represent a potentially powerful addition to the tools with which historical events and figures can be presented to the public. For readers curious to experience this technology for themselves, two recently opened exhibitions, one in London and another at Leeds Castle (near Maidstone in Kent), offer just such an opportunity.
At Dock X in Canada Water, London, Vikings: the immersive experience takes visitors on a voyage through 9th-century Scandinavia and Britain, tracing the story of the quick-thinking Queen Áslaug (also known as Kráka) and her husband, the legendary warrior king Ragnar Lodbrok. It is a fascinatingly liminal point in time to focus on, lying right on the cusp of where myth meets more verifiable history. Áslaug was reputedly the daughter of a dragon-killer and a shieldmaiden, and Ragnar’s deeds are the stuff of legend, too; but their four sons are more solidly historically attested, being associated with the Viking Great Army’s invasion of England in AD 865 – events that must have felt all-too-real to the Anglo-Saxon communities whom they encountered.
AI forms only a small part of this experience; following a short audiovisual presentation that establishes the exhibition’s historical context (including the AD 793 raid on Lindisfarne that traditionally marks the start of the Viking Age in Britain), walls part to allow access to the ‘Forest of Time’. This is the exhibition’s main gallery: a huge, atmospherically decorated space where visitors can wander between towering replica trees in search of touchscreens, information boards, and displays of replica objects. One of the most prominent features within this landscape is a huge rendering of Yggdrasil, the ‘World Tree’ of Norse mythology, beneath whose rune-strung branches you can sit, don a VR headset and earphones, and experience a dramatically immersive introduction to the narrative’s key characters.
Those who venture deeper into the forest can interact with Áslaug ‘herself’; towards the back of the gallery are a number of screens (a sensible touch, reducing potential queuing time for what is sure to be a popular feature) where an avatar representing the queen sits in serene repose until you press a button on a nearby microphone and ask her a question. During our visit, CA tried posing both personal and factual questions (‘How many children do you have?’ and ‘Tell me about Viking ships’), and after only a very brief pause both elicited fluent responses, including an offer to go into more detail about the lives of each of Áslaug’s sons.
Following this intriguing AI encounter, the exhibition culminates in a cinematic experience, with visitors sitting in a reconstructed longship (or on one of dozens of cushioned cubes scattered around the room) to watch 360° animations of seascapes, soaring mountains, and settlements, as the story comes to its dramatic conclusion. On the way out, an array of information boards highlight some of the astonishing finds from the Oseberg ship burial in Norway, grounding this virtual visit with archaeological insights into the experiences of other high-ranking women from 9th-century Scandinavia.
Further information:
• Vikings: the immersive experience is at Dock X, Canada Water, London, until 31 May 2026. General admission costs from £23 (with concessions available); see https://vikings-immersive.co.uk/london for more information.
•Pilgrimage of Love: Eleanor of Castile is at Leeds Castle in Kent until 1 November 2026. Entry is included in admission to the castle (tickets cost from £38.50, or £34.50 online, and include free return visits to the site for a year); see http://www.leeds-castle.com/events/pilgrimage-of-love-eleanor-of-castile for more details.
Encountering Eleanor of Castile
Artificial Intelligence also provides the highlight of Pilgrimage of Love: Eleanor of Castile, a new exhibition that has recently opened at Leeds Castle in Kent. Founded as a Norman stronghold and much-altered over the ensuing centuries, the site served as a royal residence for six medieval queens, including Eleanor of Castile (1241-1290), its first female owner, who is the focus of the new displays.
The exhibition is housed within the ‘Gloriette’, a part of the castle that was developed from the original keep during Eleanor’s lifetime, its name (taken from a Spanish term for a garden pavilion) reflecting the queen consort’s heritage. Within each of its rooms, visitors will find colourful information boards, shaped like large lancet windows, that illuminate different aspects of her life, interests, and achievements.
Born a princess of the medieval Kingdom of Castile, Eleanor was just 13 years old when she was married to the future Edward I (r. 1272-1307) in 1254; her new husband was two years older. It was a politically arranged match, and the young couple met for the first time just two weeks before their union, but the marriage flourished into a powerful and genuinely loving partnership.
Eleanor travelled widely with her husband – including accompanying him on the Ninth Crusade in 1271, just before he succeeded his father Henry III as king – and during Edward’s reign she assisted him as a trusted political advisor. A highly educated woman, Eleanor was an influential driver of court culture, and also amassed a large personal property portfolio. While her ruthless approach to this latter interest made her unpopular with some of her subjects, Edward was devoted to his queen and mourned her death deeply, commissioning stone monuments (today known as ‘Eleanor Crosses’) to mark each point where her coffin paused on its journey back to London.
At the end of the exhibition, visitors can interact with ‘Eleanor’, by means of an AI incarnation created by SKC Studios. Her physical appearance and voice are ‘creative reimaginings’, but her clothing and royal regalia are based on historical research – and the queen herself is depicted with one hand clutching the strings of her cloak, echoing the pose of her effigy in Westminster Abbey. Unlike the avatar of Áslaug mentioned above, which only ‘comes to life’ when you address her, ‘Eleanor’ appears to be aware of her surroundings, recognising when a visitor approaches. If you ask her about her own life or Leeds Castle, the AI technology will draw on a pre loaded bank of key facts to formulate an answer, while for anything else the underlying LLM is programmed to search the internet for relevant details.
The technology records transcripts, too, of each question and the generated response, in order to help inform future exhibitions – though, a board at the entrance to the room assures visitors, no audio or visual information is captured, and all the data is effectively anonymous unless a visitor volunteers any identifying information during their conversation (the AI is programmed not to ask personal questions).
