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Artificial intelligence walking tours in Helsinki
The Finnish city of Helsinki, led by mayor Juhana Vartiainen, recently completed an experiment which tested how artificial intelligence can be used to provide virtual walking tours.
According to the city of Helsinki’s webpage, the idea of the experiment was to lead people to interesting walking routes in the Finnish capital using mobile phones, with the goal of developing a virtual walking tour guide helped by artificial intelligence.
Destinations were developed by integrating large numbers of data materials in novel ways, and various themes based on statistical keyword analysis were born. The innovative service provided a walking tour based on the user’s preferences for theme, route length or duration and starting spot.
A workable prototype of a walking tour guide was created as a result of the experiment. Despite the fact that the experimental materials were limited, numerous people who participated in the trial were able to discover new routes in their own neighborhoods and get a glimpse of the city’s rich cultural heritage thanks to artificial intelligence.
Saska Lohi, Project Manager in the Urban Environment Division, stated: “The feedback from the testers of the walking tour guide was positive, even though it was a rather rough prototype. The basic idea works, and we hope to find the right partner and resources for the further development of the service.”
According to Lohi, the experiment proved that the information on a wide range of cultural histories was frequently difficult to find. Therefore, the trial gave a fresh way of dealing with this large amount of data and learning about the history and culture of Helsinki from it.
“The walking tour guide still requires work before it can be used to create a full-scale service, but the idea has now been tested and found to work, and the building blocks are there for a more continuous service – we just need a home for it,” Lohi further stated.
Apart from this experiment, another 8 studies were completed in Helsinki in December last year. All of them aimed to get an insight into how artificial intelligence and software robots could be used to improve the city’s services and simplify the work of city personnel. (photo credit: Tapio Haaja/Unsplash)
