Look Who’s Talking!

What did Cupid really think about love? How did Achilles, a warrior from Greek mythology, prepare for battle? Now you can ask them!

Several famous statues in France started speaking their minds earlier this year with the help of artificial intelligence. The sculptures are part of the gardens at the Palace of Versailles (ver-SY). The former royal residence housed France’s government from 1682 to 1789.

Visitors can launch audio chats with 20 sculptures by scanning QR codes throughout the grounds. (Nonvisitors can chat too, by using the palace’s app.) The conversations reveal anecdotes, historical facts, and secrets about Versailles.

Several French kings called the palace home, including Louis XIV. Starting in the mid-1660s, he transformed it into a lavish mansion while many of his subjects suffered in poverty. In 1789, during the French Revolution, an angry mob forced his great-great-great grandson King Louis XVI and wife Queen Marie Antoinette to flee Versailles, moving the government to Paris.

Now a museum, the palace is one of the most visited heritage sites in France. But most visitors are older and come from abroad. Officials hope the talking statues—available through this winter—will attract younger, local audiences. “[The statues create a] link between the past and the future,” says Julie Lavet, who helped with the project.

So is the plan working? You’ll have to ask the statues.

—Brooke Ross