Cultural Bonding through AI-mediated Emotional Engagement with Selfie

This paper explores how AI-mediated interaction design can foster emotional engagement and cultural bonding within digital museum experiences. Through a case study of Known Beauty, an interactive installation at the Shanghai Museum, the study demonstrates how generative AI—specifically style transfer—can personalize visitor experiences by transforming selfies into artistic representations aligned with museum artifacts. This transformation is embedded in a gamified “hide and seek” mechanic, encouraging users to discover their altered images within cultural artifacts. Designed as a WeChat mini-program, the system integrates Donald Norman’s emotional design framework—visceral, behavioral, and reflective layers—to enhance user engagement. The experience merges self-expression with cultural heritage, making the museum visit both personal and memorable. Technical implementation includes training custom neural networks on the museum’s 30 most popular artifacts and delivering stylized outcomes for social sharing. Findings highlight the potential of emotional AI design to enrich digital cultural interactions and expand the communicative capacity of museums.