July/August 2025
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The AI Universe
This explosion in generative AI offers some thrilling possibilities for museums and the future of our field. However, as you’ll also read in this issue of Museum magazine, there is much to consider before we leap into this new future. Explore how museums are putting AI to use in their operations, digital collections management, and preservation and analysis, and why the future is already here: AI will define the next 100 years.
In this issue:
From the President
Decoding AI
“With our large pools of data and our limited human resources, [the explosion of generative AI] could be a breakthrough in our ability to deliver on our missions … To make the best use of AI, we’ll need to look beyond the hype and understand what the technology really is under the surface. As this technology continues to grow … we must continue learning together as museum peers, and there’s no better place to turn than our AAM community.”
» Read the full column from AAM President & CEO Marilyn Jackson.
Improving the Search: Uncovering AI bias in digital collections
FEATURE
by Madeline Schill and Kathy Jones
Museums can use AI to uncover derogatory language and bias in digital collections. Learn how staff at the Harvard University Herbaria are identifying derogatory language in natural history records which are unacceptable by modern social and ethical standards, and—with the help of data sciences— are recontextualizing these digital databases.
The Future Is Already Here: AI will define the next 100 years
FEATURE
by Brendan Ciecko
AI is reshaping and ultimately challenging how we live, learn, work, and connect, even in museums. Learn about the big, bold, and transformative projects museums are undertaking around the world with AI now, and what may come next.
Charting the Course: AI implementation at the Carter
FEATURE
by Michelle Padilla and Jane Thaler
How can museums use AI responsibly, and navigate AI in a way that aligns with their mission and values? Read how the Amon Carter Museum of American Art considered these questions to create guidelines to help ensure thoughtful AI implementation, and what they learned in the process.
Unlocking the Past with AI at the B&O Railroad Museum
FEATURE
by Anna Kresmer and Jonathan Goldman
In partnership with Johns Hopkins University, the B&O Railroad Museum is revolutionizing the use of AI for the digitization, preservation and analysis of archival records, paving the way to a better understanding of a vast segment of the 20th-century’s working population.
We’ve Seen This Before: Lessons to help incorporate AI into museum operations
POINT OF VIEW
by Carolyn Royston
Museums seeking to incorporate AI into operations can look to the lessons learned in previous digital transformations. A senior digital leader with experience in museums of all sizes shares how to successfully approach digital transformation.
July/August 2025 issue
By the Numbers:
AI in the Museum
96%
is the accuracy rate of AI used at the US National Herbarium for plant specimen sorting.
10%
of US adults are more excited than concerned about AI use in daily life.
54%
of Americans say AI programs need to credit the sources used.
Sources: Smithsonian Institution/Biodiversity Data Journal, Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center.
» Explore additional resources and information about artificial intelligence in museums in the AAM Member Resource Library.
Your Member Access to Museum
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May/June 2025
Trust
Mar/Apr 2025
Centering Accessibility
Jan/Feb 2025
TrendsWatch: Mapping Complexity
Nov/Dec 2024
Widening the Circle
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Stay tuned!
September/October 2025 – Collections Stewardship
November/December 2025 – Visitation
» Explore the Editorial Calendar for potential topics under each theme. The 2026 Editorial Calendar will be available this fall.
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