Introduction
There’s a thought-provoking statistic: according to research from the University of Bamberg, most museum visitors spend less than 40 seconds in front of an artwork, and only 37% read the gallery texts (source: Smithsonian Institution).
It’s not simply inattention: often museum language fails to truly speak to people. It’s a rich, technical language, but distant from the way we learn and understand what surrounds us today.
Amuseapp and New Ways of Experiencing Culture
In recent years, however, something is changing. Italian museums are undergoing a profound digital transformation, supported by PNRR investments and renewed interest in cultural innovation. More and more institutions are experimenting with tools that make visits more immersive, accessible and personalized: from smart audio guides to interactive thematic paths.
It’s from this vision that amuseapp was born, a startup from Belluno that chose to use artificial intelligence to make culture accessible to everyone.
Artificial Intelligence in the Cultural Sector: Amuseapp and Amuseagent
Founded in 2024 by Marco Da Rin Zanco, Michele Da Rold and Alberto Nalin, amuseapp is a spin-off of Larin, a marketing and digitalization agency from Belluno.
The mission is clear: transform every visit to cultural sites into an experience accessible to all.
At the center of the platform is amuseagent, an artificial intelligence system capable of analyzing texts, catalogs and raw materials provided by museums and transforming them into customizable narrative content.
Every visitor – adult or child, expert or curious, tourist or student – can access a tailored version of the journey, adapted to their age, language and level of knowledge.
Simply scan a QR code to experience an interactive and multilingual experience, without technological barriers.
“Artificial intelligence doesn’t replace culture, it accompanies and enhances it,” explains Marco Da Rin Zanco, co-founder & CEO of amuseapp.
“We have created a tool that gives people back the pleasure of fully understanding what they observe and gives cultural sites the ability to tell their stories in an innovative way. Our mission is to democratize access to knowledge.”
From left: Michele Da Rold (co-founder & PR of amuseapp), Alberto Nalin (co-founder of amuseapp and CEO of larin), Marco Da Rin Zanco (co-founder and CEO of amuseapp)
A New Language for Museums
amuseapp is not only a support for visitors, but also an ally for curators.
The platform allows you to create, distribute and analyze museums’ digital content while maintaining full curatorial control.
Thanks to data collected anonymously – such as time spent in front of an artwork or the most used language – museums can better understand their audience and build more engaging and inclusive experiences.
“Technology, when used correctly, is not a filter but a language that opens up,” adds Da Rin Zanco.
“It doesn’t tell stories instead of curators, but gives voice to their stories.”
An Italian Model of Cultural Innovation
In less than two years, amuseapp has reached over half a million users and more than 70 cultural institutions throughout Italy.
And today, after recently closing a €350,000 pre-seed investment round, the startup is ready to grow beyond national borders, strengthening its technology and consolidating a model that combines innovation, accessibility and sustainability.
An achievement that, as the founders tell us, “is not only financial, but human”.
Because every innovation starts from a shared mission: making the cultural experience understandable and accessible to everyone, overcoming the linguistic, economic and technological barriers that often limit access.