An immediately engaging, colourful exhibition, Bletchley Park’s government-funded The Age of AI is gorgeously designed, informative and — most importantly — interesting. Georgia Smith MBCS reports.
I’m guided through the maze that is Bletchley Park by Marketing Manager Melanie Owen, whose enthusiasm for the new exhibition is infectious, and I’m excited to explore what she promises is a colourful diversion in the midst of Bletchley’s wartime aesthetic. Set in a small gallery in Block A which totals maybe 30 foot by 20, this exhibition is packed full of more thought-provoking questions and fascinating facts than you might think its small size would allow.
A journey through the exhibition
Upon entry, I’m met with a wall featuring many different definitions of AI and encouraged to choose which resonates most, immediately setting the tone for an experience that encourages making up your own mind. The exhibition has a circular design, taking me through various wall-mounted topics: beginning with a brief segment on Bletchley and its geniuses’ role in the birth of AI, we move swiftly on to the enormously varied current applications of AI in data collection and analysis, healthcare, arts and entertainment — with special mentions for Dr Who and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — and social media. Halfway around, an interactive exhibit focused on spotting AI generated images offers a fun and thought provoking diversion. The exhibition continues with sections on the applications of AI in cybercrime and government, before finishing with a ‘talking heads’ video featuring experts Dame Wendy Hall, Dr Edward Pyzer-Knapp and Professor David Leslie, who offer their opinions on key issues in the future of AI. Facts and figures about the role of AI in sustainability are also threaded through.
The room’s centre is filled by three pyramids, constructed from suspended pieces of card, which present a history of AI — their peaks detailing the foundations of the field and, moving forward in time as the shapes widen, their bases conveying current developments. This is an effective and engaging way to convey the field’s exponential growth in recent years — and in terms of exhibition design, provides an additional point of interest if the main circular route is busy.
Overall, the exhibition covers a broad spectrum of topics without losing focus; the main theme, current and future applications of AI and its impact, is clearly and effectively contextualised within the history of the development of AI. Including the role of Bletchley park itself is also well done — it would have been odd to omit it, but easy to overdo. The exhibition’s design is clear and easy to follow, but avoids being rigid, allowing a relaxed ‘dip in and out’ approach.
Purpose and people
The key intentions of The Age of AI are to inform and to spark discussion about how AI impacts our lives already, and how it might continue to do so in the future. The target audience for this exhibition is ‘teenagers and people their parents’ age’, a combination which intrigued me at first — but having seen the space, I can see how encouraging both generations to reflect on the issue simultaneously is an excellent way to spark conversations with varied perspectives.
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The exhibition hits all the right notes; it’s highly informative without being an information dump, leaving enough room for imagination and individual judgment to provide a jumping off point for the discussions it hopes to provoke — not only about what could happen, but about what we want (and don’t want) to happen.
Additionally, placing the expert talking heads at the end of the designed route has the effect of allowing attendees enough time to engage with the issue themselves before absorbing other viewpoints. Perhaps intentionally, this sidesteps a wider problem with the constantly available, omnipresent onslaught of (mis)information that is the internet: thinking critically and forming an opinion before being influenced by others is increasingly difficult.
Additionally, it’s the right level of interactive. Many museum exhibitions now offer constant interactivity, which can be overwhelming and frustrating. The interactive elements here are well chosen and entertaining. The game of spotting which images and videos are AI generated and which are real is fantastic, managing to be simultaneously entertaining and sobering. It would be interesting to gather data on whether there’s a generational difference in success spotting AI vs real images — perhaps a missed trick, or perhaps just too tricky.
The exhibition does an excellent job of meeting its target audiences where they’re at, offering information readable enough to target the youngest of teens and interesting enough to absorb an interested person of any age. Similarly, the colour scheme (on which more later) doesn’t make the fatal mistake of being too childish for a teen audience — bright and engaging without being overwhelming, it creates an aesthetically pleasing, thematic and immersive atmosphere.
Behind the scenes
After I finish exploring the exhibition I chat with Tilly Davis, Exhibition and Interpretations Manager at Bletchley Park. Smiling at my comment that the exhibition is gorgeously designed, she tells me that the colour scheme was actually generated by AI, with the core colours based on those found inside a data chip. The AI added orange and green which, expands Tilly, pleasingly mirrors the colourful language of programming. This is a great touch; not only because it’s — well, just cool, but because as the exhibit highlights how AI already surrounds us without us realising it’s impactful that the exhibition itself joins in.
Tilly also tells me about what went into choosing the topics included in the exhibition. While it was vital that there was something for everyone because Bletchley’s wider demographic is just that, they also wanted to centre the interests of their core target audience. Working with focus groups narrowed down the selection to the topics we see represented, and unearthed a strong interest in the role of AI in sustainability — both positive and negative. That last point is something Tilly is keen to touch on; that this is not an exhibition extolling the virtues of AI, or crowing its negatives. Instead, Bletchley is keen to present a balanced, open ended overview of the field and both its opportunities and risks as it develops.
An effective, engaging spark for discussions, it’s easy to imagine the conversations sparked by the exhibition echoing around the rest of the now-tranquil birthplace of the age of AI.
Entrance to this temporary exhibition is included with the price of admission to Bletchley Park.
The title image for this article was generated by AI and sourced fro Adobe Stock Images.
