AI and the Future of Cultural Heritage

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 6217

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Storia Antropologia Religioni Arte Spettacolo, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Interests: archaeology; geographical information systems; artificial intelligence; GeoINT; remote sensing; 3D photogrammetry

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Guest Editor
Informatica, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Interests: informatics; digital communication technologies; information technology; computer vision; human behavior analysis; 3D modeling; virtual and augmented reality; multimodal interaction; natural interaction; machine learning and deep learning

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Guest Editor
Italian National Council of Research (CNR), Rome, Italy
Interests: prehistory; geographical information systems; artificial intelligence; remote sensing; virtual museums; metaverse; digital storytelling; landscape archaeology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of the third Una Quantum inc conference is to interconnect international experiences centered on the artificial intelligence in the realm of cultural heritage. As the Guest Editors and organizers of the conference, we are are seeking a humanistic perspective of the transformation occourring as a result of the latest introduction of AI assistants during the daily work, study and cultural production of heritage. We are focused on recognizing how deep changes in the field of humanities are and expectances in the future. From the United States to Europe, action needs to be taken to reimagine the power relationschips in several cultural workspaces and academies. There is a need to meet, talk about the theme and accelerate the debate upon maintaining freedom of thought and expression, preserving the authors and image rights, privacy and environment. The western goverments and the major democracies have begun outlining the bounderies between artificial and human intelligence. The goal is to preserve the latter from astonishing tight controls by private companies, criminal organizations and third-world non-democratic countries. Having consciousness about these issues is the key to drive this incredibly inspiring moment of the human history. It is now becoming evident how broad and easy it is to build one's own AI assistant for one's own field of research, making the results of heritage disciplines more scientific and faster. AI research assistants are easing the analysis of complexities, providing fast answears from very large ammounts of data and complex systems. The real result is that the artificial intelligence developed with secure and robust laws for human-centered purposes is bringing back the role of researchers to the centre in society, emphasizing their capabilities in generating new knowledge, consciousness, culture and solutions for an evolving complex human world.

Exploring the Intersection of AI and Cultural Heritage

In the dynamic intersection of AI and cultural heritage, this comprehensive exploration scrutinizes multiple facets of this evolving field. This investigation encompasses AI's development and application in cultural heritage, ethical considerations, environmental sustainability, system robustness, human-centered approaches and copyright issues, highlighting the multifaceted dimensions of this crucial intersection.

How can Al improve cultural heritage professions? Which are the potential advantages, disadvantages and future opportunities of Al in cultural heritage?

Possible examples of application include 3D reconstruction, remote sensing, image recognition and classification, text markup and understanding, historical map digitization, point cloud editing, virtual restorations, etc.

Contributions may cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • AI development and application in cultural heritage;
  • Cultural heritage AI and ethics;
  • Cultural heritage AI and environmental Impact*;
  • Cultural heritage AI robustness, practicality and security;
  • Cultural heritage AI and human-centered approaches;
  • Cultural heritage AI and Explainability of process;
  • AI cultural heritage and copyright.

* Is it possible and how can we achieve a zero-emission AI process (e.g., hosting the server and website at a zero-emission company that can offer servers powered solely by renewable energy and other green solutions)?

Spadaro, Alessandro
Organizer

Dr. Paolo Rosati
Dr. Marco Raoul Marini
Dr. Augusto Palombini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • artificial intelligence
  • cultural heritage
  • ethics
  • environmental sustainability
  • human-centered approaches

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2789 KiB  
Article
AI, Cultural Heritage, and Bias: Some Key Queries That Arise from the Use of GenAI
by Anna Foka and Gabriele Griffin
Heritage 2024, 7(11), 6125-6136; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7110287 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1049
Abstract
Our article AI, cultural heritage, and bias examines the challenges and potential solutions for using machine learning to interpret and classify human memory and cultural heritage artifacts. We argue that bias is inherent in cultural heritage collections (CHCs) and their digital versions and [...] Read more.
Our article AI, cultural heritage, and bias examines the challenges and potential solutions for using machine learning to interpret and classify human memory and cultural heritage artifacts. We argue that bias is inherent in cultural heritage collections (CHCs) and their digital versions and that AI pipelines may amplify this bias. We hypothesise that effective AI methods require vast, well-annotated datasets with structured metadata, which CHCs often lack due to diverse digitisation practices and limited interconnectivity. This paper discusses the definition of bias in CHCs and other datasets, exploring how it stems from training data and insufficient humanities expertise in generative platforms. We conclude that scholarship, guidelines, and policies on AI and CHCs should address bias as both inherent and augmented by AI technologies. We recommend implementing bias mitigation techniques throughout the process, from collection to curation, to support meaningful curation, embrace diversity, and cater to future heritage audiences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue AI and the Future of Cultural Heritage)
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18 pages, 3429 KiB  
Article
ChatGPT as a Digital Assistant for Archaeology: Insights from the Smart Anomaly Detection Assistant Development
by Gabriele Ciccone
Heritage 2024, 7(10), 5428-5445; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7100256 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1205
Abstract
The introduction of generative AI has the potential to radically transform various fields of research, including archaeology. This study explores the potential of generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, in developing a computer application for analyzing aerial and satellite images to detect archaeological anomalies. The [...] Read more.
The introduction of generative AI has the potential to radically transform various fields of research, including archaeology. This study explores the potential of generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, in developing a computer application for analyzing aerial and satellite images to detect archaeological anomalies. The main focus was not on developing the application itself but on evaluating ChatGPT’s effectiveness as an IT assistant for humanistic researchers. Starting with a simple prompt to analyze a multispectral orthophoto, the application was developed through successive iterations, improved through continuous interactions with ChatGPT. Various technical and methodological challenges were addressed, leading to the creation of a functional application with multiple features, including various analysis methods and tools. This process demonstrated how the use of large language models (LLMs) can break down the barriers between humanities and computer science disciplines, enabling researchers without programming skills to develop complex applications in a short time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue AI and the Future of Cultural Heritage)
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13 pages, 1622 KiB  
Article
Generative Artificial Intelligence, Human Agency and the Future of Cultural Heritage
by Dirk H. R. Spennemann
Heritage 2024, 7(7), 3597-3609; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7070170 - 9 Jul 2024
Viewed by 2142
Abstract
The first half of 2023 was dominated by a public discussion of the nature and implications of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) models that are poised to become the most significant cross-cultural global disruptor since the invention of the World-Wide Web. It can be [...] Read more.
The first half of 2023 was dominated by a public discussion of the nature and implications of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) models that are poised to become the most significant cross-cultural global disruptor since the invention of the World-Wide Web. It can be predicted that genAI will affect how cultural heritage is being managed and practiced, primarily by providing analysis and decision-making tools, but also by genAI generated texts and images, in particular reconstructions of objects and sites. The more speculative interpretations of contexts and alternative interpretations generated by genAI models may constitute manifestations of cultural heritage in their own right. But do these constitute human cultural heritage, or are they AI cultural heritage? This paper is a deliberation of the realities and future(s) of cultural heritage in a genAI and post-genAI world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue AI and the Future of Cultural Heritage)
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