by Xinhua Writer Tan Jingjing
LOS ANGELES, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Stepping into DATALAND, a new AI art museum in downtown Los Angeles, visitors are immersed in a world of shifting light, sound and data, where the boundary between observer and artwork begins to blur.
Described as the world's first museum of AI arts and digital ecosystem, the museum opened to the public on Saturday, offering an immersive experience that blends machine intelligence, data and artistic expression.
Located in downtown LA's cultural district, DATALAND spans about 2,300 square meters and features five galleries. It was founded by media artists Refik Anadol and cultural researcher Efsun Erkilic.
Inside, visitors are more than observers -- they become participants in the artwork. Upon entry, they are given wearable sensors and guided into an environment where visual, auditory and sensory elements shift continuously in response to data streams and human presence.
The museum's inaugural exhibition, "Machine Dreams: Rainforest," explores the relationship between AI and the natural world through immersive visuals, soundscapes, scent and interactive technologies.
The exhibition is powered by the Large Nature Model, an AI system developed by Refik Anadol Studio and trained on ecological datasets obtained through partnerships with scientific and cultural institutions, as well as data collected firsthand from 16 rainforest environments around the world.
In one gallery, rainforest-inspired soundscapes fill the room while dynamic images of ecological patterns unfold across giant screens. The experience is designed to respond in real time to visitors' interactions.
Anadol described DATALAND as a "living museum," where artworks continuously evolve through interactions among data, machine intelligence and visitors.
"A living museum is constantly changing, just like life itself," Anadol told Xinhua. "We wanted to create a place where art, architecture, science and technology come together."
Visitors' physiological signals, including heart rate and skin response, are captured through sensors. According to the museum, the information feeds into a building-wide digital memory system known as the "Connectome," allowing the exhibition to evolve continuously rather than reset after each visit.
The opening of DATALAND comes as AI increasingly reshapes creative industries while also fueling debate over whether AI could eventually replace human creativity.
Anadol rejected that notion. "Human beings will remain the creative force of life," he said.
"This museum is fundamentally about human-machine collaboration," he added. "At its center is the human being. AI is a collaborator. It is not a replacement."
Anadol said he hopes the museum will help people better understand AI and explore its possibilities.
According to Anadol, more than 10 million lines of code were written for the project, which was developed over three years by a small team working across art, science and engineering.
The founders said they hope DATALAND will serve not only as an exhibition space, but also as a platform bringing together artists, scientists and technologists to explore the future of creativity in the age of AI. ■