Talk To Frits
AI & Data
Semester programme:Minor AI for Society
Research group:Interaction Design
Project group members:Tim Lemmens,
Yvonne van Schie,
Yannick Maas,
Julian Manders,
Olivia Brabers.
Project description
The central question of our project was: How can AI be used to bring Eindhoven to life by giving the city its own voice?
The assignment was intentionally open-ended, allowing us to explore a wide range of concepts without predefined constraints. Rather than starting with technology, we focused on meaning, interaction, and narrative. Our goal was to design a concept in which people could interact with Eindhoven itself, not through data or dashboards, but through personality, language, and storytelling.
This exploration eventually led to Talk to Frits: a concept where the city speaks through the voice and mindset of Frits Philips, connecting Eindhoven’s past, present, and future through AI-driven conversation.
Context
The project is situated within the domain of AI, culture, and public interaction, with a strong connection to smart cities and cultural heritage. Eindhoven is known for its technological innovation, but also has a rich industrial and human history. Our project explores how AI can bridge those two worlds.
Rather than using AI for optimization or automation, we approached it as a communicative medium. We questioned how AI could help a city express identity, values, and memory in a way that feels human and accessible. The context is public-facing: installations, events, or experiences where people encounter AI without needing technical knowledge.
The project was previously presented at the AI & Data event, where Talk to Frits was shown during the voice-cloning phase. Since then, the concept has evolved significantly, expanding beyond a technical demo into a broader, more considered interaction concept. This context shaped our focus on narrative, tone, and experience rather than technical novelty alone.
Results
The final outcome is an AI-powered, talking version of Frits Philips that functions as an interactive storyteller for Eindhoven. We transferred the existing Frits concept to the Fontys AI environment and combined it with conversational AI and voice cloning.
During testing and public demonstrations, the system proved robust and difficult to break, even when users asked unexpected questions. The AI stayed in character and responded coherently, which validated our design and prompt approach.
The value of the project lies in how existing AI technologies were combined and framed. By using a recognizable historical figure, the interaction felt accessible and engaging rather than technical.
The project is positioned at TRL 4: a validated prototype.
Result: an interactive storyteller that brings Eindhoven’s history to life.
About the project group
We are a project group within the Eindhoven AI program, consisting of four Media Design students and one Marketing student. The project ran for one semester and was worked on continuously through research, ideation, concept development, and prototyping.
Because of our Media Design background, our main strength lies in concept development, storytelling, and experience design. This turned out to be a strong fit for an assignment that was deliberately open-ended and exploratory. The Marketing perspective helped us reflect on audience, positioning, and communication. Our way of working was iterative and concept-driven: generating many ideas early on, critically selecting directions, and refining them through testing and validation.