Pressing On Toward the Goal

For most of us, museums are sanctuaries of the past -- beautiful spaces where we can peruse art and artifacts of those who have come before us, seeking to understand ourselves a little better in the process. But what about museums of the future?

In a growing pivot toward innovation, a number of museums worldwide are showcasing futuristic designs and high-tech interactive exhibits, pointing us to the future rather than offering space for us to rest in the past. Here are a few:

Misalignment Museum in San Francisco, California: A current art installation ponders various aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, from an interactive shrine called the "Church of GPT" to a never-ending conversation between AI-generated models of Werner Herzog (a German film director) and Slavo Zizek (a Slovenian philosopher).

Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida: The "Dream Tapestry" uses OpenAI's AI generator DALL-E to create images of visitors' dreams with a simple written prompt, contributing to a 12-foot tapestry screen. Another project titled "Dali Lives" uses more than 1,000 hours of machine learning to train an AI algorithm to create aspects of artist Salvador Dali's face. Visitors also view 125 different interactive videos with thousands of different combinations of a reimagined Dali.

Oman Across Ages Museum in Manah, Oman: Various exhibits use drones to map archaeological sites, 3D-printing to replicate locations, and a mix of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) and Augmented Reality (AR) to recreate ancient societies. Visitors can also use Virtual Reality (VR) to visit the inside of several of the country's best-known buildings, including one of the residences of the Sultan of Oman.

Seoul Robot and AI Museum, Seoul, South Korea: Slated to open in 2024, the museum will be a hub for smart interactive technologies such as AI, CGI, VR, and AR.

Museum of the Future, Dubai, UAE: The museum is home to a bot barista named Bob, an AI-powered humanoid robot called Ameca, a metallic flying penguin that flies above people's heads, and a friendly robotic dog that roams the lobby interacting with visitors.

As Christians, how are we to encounter the future? Wholeheartedly, Friends! Hear Paul's words in Philippians 3:13-14, as he explains to the church in Philippi that all the tedious things he once counted as personal gain now meaning nothing to him:

One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Straining toward what is ahead, how will we encounter Christ Jesus among the AI, AR, VR, and CGI? How will we speak joy and hope into a world that is wrestling itself into a new future?

God bless,

Jennie