MuseumWeek Manifesto: Artificial Intelligence and Museums
MuseumWeek was born at a time when museums were just beginning to explore social media.
This global movement was built on a simple yet powerful idea: cultural institutions must embrace digital tools to engage with their audiences, share their collections, and strengthen their educational and social missions.
Today, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) marks a new turning point.
Much like social media in its time, AI is reshaping how we create, disseminate, preserve, transmit — and engage audiences with — culture. But it also raises critical questions:
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What impact will it have on museum professionals?
AI-powered assistants may help fulfill institutional missions more effectively — provided staff are properly trained, supported, and valued during the transition.
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How is a museum’s identity — and its mission — being transformed?
If AI automates tasks or generates new narratives, it can challenge the balance between scholarly authority, cultural mediation, and public participation.
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How can we ensure a responsible use of digital technologies?
AI raises serious environmental concerns (energy use, digital waste) and key issues around data protection, security, and digital sovereignty.
In this context, MuseumWeek is redefining its role: to guide museums in the ethical, critical, and creative adoption of AI.
Our vision and principles
We believe in an artificial intelligence that serves people, empowers cultural professionals, and reinforces the core mission of museums. AI should act as a catalyst to amplify human creativity, celebrate cultural diversity, and ensure fair, inclusive access to knowledge. Its role is not to replace, but to enhance the capacity of those who safeguard and transmit culture. For this potential to be fully realized, AI must be accessible, developed and implemented with transparency, and rooted in ethical responsibility.
This requires a strong commitment to continuous training and support, so that museum teams can confidently and critically integrate these technologies. It also demands interdisciplinary collaboration between cultural institutions, artists, researchers, and technologists, fostering innovation while remaining grounded in shared values. At the same time, we must address the broader impact of AI through responsible digital practices that consider the environmental footprint of technologies and the importance of data protection. Ultimately, we see AI not as a technical tool alone, but as part of a global effort toward cultural sustainability, the preservation of memory, and the humanization of the digital age.
The Global “AI and Culture” coalition
MuseumWeek invites museums, cultural institutions, artists, labs, developers, researchers, and communities to join the Global “AI and Culture” Coalition.
Together, we will:
• Share real-world use cases and inspiring practices
• Co-develop open tools and collaborative resources
• Define ethical frameworks rooted in cultural values
• Ensure the voice of culture is heard in global AI discussions
Join the Movement
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Register for MuseumWeek
By registering for MuseumWeek, your institution becomes part of this global movement. You’ll gain access to exclusive resources for hosting “AI Cafés” — informal team discussions to raise awareness and spark dialogue — as well as expert content and tools available year-round.
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Stay informed
To explore how AI is shaping the cultural sector, subscribe to the new “AI & Museums” section of the MuseumWeek Magazine.
Interviews, case studies, opinion pieces, practical guides to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities of AI.
Stay connected, stay inspired — and stay ahead.
MuseumWeek AI Cafés: museums, it's time to go AI!
MuseumWeek 2025 will kick off with a vibrant day dedicated to Artificial Intelligence, setting the stage for an inspiring edition. To help you get involved, we’ve prepared practical and easy-to-use resources to support the organization of AI Awareness Cafés within your teams.