AI for Cultural Heritage - Introduction to the Special Theme
by the guest editors George Pavlidis (Athena RC) and Laura Hollink (CWI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of the cultural heritage sector. Libraries, archives, and museums are increasingly employing AI to preserve, interpret, and engage with artifacts of historical and cultural significance. As such, the adoption of AI represents a significant leap forward for the sector. However, this progress brings ethical and practical challenges. Cultural heritage artifacts often reflect diverse and complex histories, and developing AI that can fully capture the breadth and nuance of these narratives is no trivial task. The societal role of cultural heritage institutions as trusted sources of information can sometimes conflict with AI systems that may produce biased results when trained on incomplete or skewed datasets. Moreover, many state-of-the-art AI systems operate as “black boxes,” which creates tension with the sector’s emphasis on data curation and provenance. As a result, there is a growing need for AI systems that are tailored to the specific values and requirements of the cultural heritage field.