If you have never had the chance to see St. Peter's Basilica, you will now have the opportunity to do so from the comfort of your home. Microsoft and the Vatican have formed a partnership at the end of 2024 that aims to bring this experience to life in an engaging way.
Peter is here: AI at the service of cultural heritage is an interactive experience that will appear in Minecraft Education. The idea is to take young players on a journey through time, discovering the history of the holy site, as well as the restoration challenges faced to maintain its splendor. For the first time, a virtual tour of the site will be possible. Students will also visualize restoration work and “participate” in it, while encountering historical figures and studying key artifacts with the help of AI.
Teachers will have access to educational materials to better understand the history of St. Peter's in Rome. With AI assistance, students will contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage and Renaissance architecture. The game will offer two pathways, combining history, arts, STEM, and digital culture. The first, Restoration Mode, places students in the role of Sanpietrini, the team responsible for cultural preservation, engaging them in restoring key parts of the basilica across four historical periods.
