Digital Venue explains how its Speech product can transform the way museums create and manage audio guides
For museums, storytelling is at the heart of the visitor experience. The ability to share insightful, well-researched narratives in an engaging way is crucial and audio guides are a proven way to deliver them. Yet creating, maintaining, and updating audio guides has traditionally been a slow, costly, and resource-intensive process. With Digital Venue’s Speech, that paradigm does no longer stand.
The Traditional Challenges of Audio Guides
The challenge of producing and maintaining an audio guide has always been a complex one. Museums have had to undertake extensive research, compiling content from curators, conservators and archival sources. Drafting, reviewing and approving scripts across multiple internal teams has been time-consuming, often requiring repeated revisions. Translations have had to be commissioned and carefully checked for accuracy. Finding the right voice actors, booking recording sessions and overseeing audio production has added further layers of complexity. Multiple rounds of revisions, re-recordings and final approvals have been required before the content could be integrated into playback systems and in-gallery signage could be produced. This entire process could take weeks or even months, making it nearly impossible to update existing guides on a regular basis. As a result, many museums have had little choice but to leave outdated narratives in place, unable to keep up with new research insights, rotating exhibitions, and evolving visitor expectations.
A Smarter Solution with Digital Venue’s Speech
Digital Venue’s Speech offers an efficient, flexible and cost-effective alternative. By leveraging advanced AI-driven speech generation technology, museums can now create, update and deploy audio guides in a fraction of the time, without compromising on quality or accuracy. Instead of laboriously producing new content from scratch, existing research, curatorial writing and collections data can be uploaded into the system. A tour can be generated by providing a simple prompt and specifying the target audience and languages. The generated text can then be reviewed and refined as necessary. Translations into up to twenty languages can be produced instantly, with high-quality audio generated within minutes. The final content can then be deployed directly to the Digital Venue web app or downloaded for integration into existing systems. What previously took months to complete can now be achieved in as little as thirty minutes.
“What once took months to finalise can now be completed in as little as thirty minutes.”
Ensuring Accuracy and Knowledge Authority
Maintaining accuracy and integrity is paramount for museums, which rely on precise, well-researched information to uphold their reputation. Unlike generic AI tools that risk generating inaccurate content, Speech operates on a Retrieval-Augmented Generation model. This ensures that all generated content is based solely on verified museum-provided sources, significantly reducing the risk of misinformation while maintaining scholarly integrity.
“By using only museum-verified content, Speech ensures accuracy and maintains factual integrity.”
The Benefits of Adaptability and Accessibility
One of the greatest advantages of Speech is its adaptability. Museums can easily update tours to reflect new research or changing exhibitions. Content can be refined based on visitor feedback, ensuring that narratives remain engaging and relevant. Different storytelling approaches can be explored to cater to specific audiences, while multilingual accessibility can be provided at scale without the prohibitive costs usually associated with traditional translation and recording processes.
“Speech empowers museums to keep their stories as dynamic as their exhibitions, without the traditional resource constraints.”
A Future-Proofed Approach to Museum Interpretation
As museums continue to explore innovative ways to engage their audiences, Speech represents a shift towards more dynamic, responsive and accessible audio guides. By streamlining content creation and eliminating traditional production barriers, Digital Venue enables museums to keep their stories fresh, relevant and aligned with their mission, without the usual time and resource constraints. For institutions looking to make their audio guides as compelling and up-to-date as their exhibits, Speech is the next step forward. Why wait months to tell a new story when it can be done in minutes?
Summary
Digital Venue’s Speech transforms the way museums create and manage audio guides, making the process faster, more cost-effective and easier to update. By leveraging AI-driven technology, Speech enables museums to produce high-quality audio tours in multiple languages within minutes rather than months. With a focus on accuracy and adaptability, Speech allows institutions to keep their storytelling fresh and relevant, ensuring visitors receive the most engaging and up-to-date experiences possible.
