YORK — AI technologies hold the promise of revolutionizing storytelling in museums and heritage sites, enriching the narratives of human and natural history, suggests a recent study from the University of York, according to a press release published on EuropaWire.

Dr. Richard Carter, from the School of Creative Arts and Technologies at the University of York, is a co-investigator on the project. The study delves into the potential applications of AI to aid curators and researchers in gaining deeper insights into museum collections while enhancing the visitor experience.

One of the central aims of the project is to address biases in AI, particularly those stemming from the colonial history of many museum collections. Dr. Carter emphasized the importance of using AI responsibly in the sector, highlighting the risk of perpetuating imperial narratives and reflecting historic attitudes due to the way AI learns from data.

The research, titled “Museum Visitor Experience and the Responsible Use of AI to Communicate Colonial Collections,” is part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project. Collaborating institutions include the universities of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam, and Cambridge, alongside the Royal Armouries, the UK’s national museum of arms and armour.

Dr. Carter expressed excitement about the potential of emerging AI technologies to open up new storytelling possibilities, but also underscored the need for responsible implementation. He suggested that AI could assist curators in rapidly tracing and extracting information from digitized historic documents, significantly expediting research processes.

However, Dr. Carter emphasized that AI could never fully replace the role of human curators or historians. Instead, he sees humans playing an essential role in providing context and direction, guiding the use of AI technologies alongside other tools.

The study is part of the Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) program, which aims to define responsible AI across various sectors, including education, policing, and the creative industries. The projects funded under BRAID seek to produce early-stage research and recommendations to inform future endeavors in this field.

Professor Christopher Smith, Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, highlighted the significance of the research in understanding the transformative impact of AI across different domains. He emphasized the importance of ensuring responsible and beneficial uses of AI to benefit society as a whole.

The findings of this study offer valuable insights into the potential of AI to enhance storytelling in museums while urging careful consideration of ethical implications and biases inherent in AI technologies.