A new app called Wrinkles uses a smartphone's location to automatically surface historical and cultural stories about nearby places, functioning as an AI-powered audio tour guide that lets users explore without staring at their screens. Available on iOS and Android, it was co-founded by advertising executive David Stemler and serial entrepreneur Ryan Hansan, childhood friends whose shared love of travel inspired the concept after Stemler grew frustrated navigating the British Museum's self-guided tour app on his phone.

The app draws on a database of 1.3 million points of interest, called "Wrinkles", across 177 countries, with historians, museums, creators and brands able to contribute additional content. Users can ask follow-up questions as they explore, follow other people and organisations, save and share discoveries, and attach personal memories, photos or recordings to specific locations, making it useful for everyday exploration as well as travel. The founders plan to keep the app free for users, generating revenue instead from museums, tourism boards, universities and hotels that use Wrinkles to build location-based experiences.