Innovation, data and social responsibility

The volume of user data generated in museums continues to increase rapidly. Data is collected from the visitor’s physical experience but also from a range of digital touchpoints such as web, social media, ticketing and mobile apps. The application of AI to analyze and visualize this data brings an opportunity for museums to better understand their audiences and create personalized and engaging experiences. This chapter speaks to the growth of these technologies and examines the ethical, legal and practical implications for museum professionals and policy makers as they begin to adopt artificial intelligence, and more specifically Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing to better understand their audiences. Through a series of case studies drawn from the UK and US this chapter documents and examines these challenges within current and emerging museum practices.