MCN 2026

As aquariums expand digital touchpoints across the guest journey, visitors expect fast, accurate access to information. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we introduced the Kelp Desk chatbot to help guests quickly find answers across our website. 

But deploying a chatbot isn’t just a technical issue; it’s a trust exercise. 

In this session, we’ll share what it takes to design, launch, and sustain a chatbot that supports the guest experience. We’ll cover how content quality impacts AI performance, what’s required to maintain accuracy over time, and how to manage a chatbot within existing resources. With real-life grounded lessons, this session focuses on both the opportunities and limitations of AI in a mission-driven environment. 

Attendees will leave with practical insight on how to implement and sustain a chatbot in a way that builds long-term trust with their digital audiences.