Power, Data and Control: AI in The Museums

Museums are increasingly engaging with emerging data-led technologies that utilize cutting edge artificial intelligence (AI) systems to help them engage with their collections and visitors in new ways. These technologies present opportunities to in-crease impact and understanding and develop new ways for museums to evidence their contemporary relevance and reassert their position as necessary public institutions. In a drive to be relevant, museums often rush to develop new digital products and services focussing on providing strategic priorities around collections, access, and visitor engagement. This chapter argues that museums should also engage in a broader conversation about the power and impact of these digital tools and products, and outlines three models or frameworks that can be used to help development teams think about the impact these technologies have on visitors, as well as on the data, archives, and collections that museums hold as public institutions. The focus of the discussion will thus be on museums as public institutions and their role in shaping how visitors experience digitally mediated worlds.