AI-assisted tours launched at St Peter's Basilica by Vatican

New experiences were unveiled in time for Catholic Church's Holy Year or Jubilee celebrations in 2025

Reuters

November 12, 2024

Visitors look at AI-generated images of corridors and rooms inside St. Peters Basilica as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. — Reuters — Visitors look at AI-generated images of corridors and rooms inside St. Peter's Basilica as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. — Reuters

The Vatican launched on Monday new Artificial Intelligence-enabled services for St Peter's Basilica, allowing virtual access to its Renaissance-era architectural treasures for all and enhanced tours for visitors, Reuters reported.

The new experiences were unveiled in time for the Catholic Church's Holy Year or Jubilee celebrations in 2025, which come around every quarter of a century.

Visitors look at AI-generated images of the interiors of St. Peters Basilica as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. — Reuters — Visitors look at AI-generated images of the interiors of St. Peter's Basilica as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. — Reuters

"St. Peter's is like a starry sky on a summer night: you remain enchanted by its splendour," said St Peter's archpriest Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, enthusing that the new tools would act like a telescope or spaceship for better viewing.

Working with tech firm Microsoft and Iconem, a company that specialises in the digitalisation of heritage sites, the Vatican launched a new interactive website, a digital replica of the basilica and two AI-enabled exhibitions.

Some 40,000-50,000 people visit the Basilica daily.

A 3D model of St. Peter's was built by scanning the basilica using drones, cameras and lasers. AI algorithms pieced together, elaborated and completed the data.

Drones flew at night for 4 weeks, taking over 400,000 photographs and collecting the equivalent of a 6 km-high column of DVDs in data. Data from the digital twin will also be instrumental in preservation and restoration work.

A general view of the entrance of a new AI-enhanced exhibition with the dome of the Saint Peters Basilica in the background as the Vatican presents new AI-enabled exhibitions developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. — Reuters — A general view of the entrance of a new AI-enhanced exhibition with the dome of the Saint Peter's Basilica in the background as the Vatican presents new AI-enabled exhibitions developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica at the Vatican, November 9, 2024. — Reuters

"We are taking St. Peter's not just to the world but to a new generation of people, in a language that is more accessible for the times we live in," Microsoft President Brad Smith told reporters.

Pope Francis has acknowledged that AI can broaden access to knowledge but has repeatedly warned that it must only be used in an ethical way, to benefit humanity.

Pope Francis shakes hands with Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith at the St. Peters Basilica, as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica, at the Vatican, November 11, 2024. — Reuters — Pope Francis shakes hands with Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith at the St. Peter's Basilica, as the Vatican presents a new AI-enhanced experience developed in collaboration with Microsoft for tourists visiting the Basilica, at the Vatican, November 11, 2024. — Reuters

"The correct and constructive use of (AI's) potential, which is certainly useful but can be ambivalent, depends on us," he said on Monday when the project was presented to him.