New AI guidelines launched to help galleries, libraries, archives and museums prepare for the future
The Archives and Records Association UK & Ireland (ARA) has today published new open-access guidelines to help the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) sector prepare their collections for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Titled AI Preparedness Guidelines for Archivists, the four-page guidance has been produced through the ARA-funded FLAME project (AI For Libraries, Archives and Museums) and is freely available to the sector.
AI is now a growing topic of conversation across archives and record-keeping services, with managers and stakeholders increasingly asking whether it can help speed up cataloguing, identify sensitive content, or unlock new ways for users to access collections. The new guidelines aim to help organisations respond to these opportunities in a realistic, responsible and informed way.
The FLAME project is led by Professor Giovanni Colavizza (University of Copenhagen and University of Bologna) and Professor Lise Jaillant (Loughborough University). It focuses specifically on the challenges and opportunities of using AI in the GLAM sector, with the guidelines forming the first major public output of the project. An open-access academic article related to the project will be published later this year.
The project aims to:
Improve how GLAM organisations prepare digital collections before applying AI tools
Support new professional practices around automation and AI in archives
Help the sector move away from ‘dark’ archives to more accessible collections, while promoting more sustainable digital practices
The key message is clear: AI can support archival work, but only when collections are properly prepared. The guidelines stress that automation is not a magic solution, and that careful preparation, documentation and governance are essential to making collections ‘AI-ready’.
Professor Lise Jaillant and Professor Giovanni Colavizza said: “AI can support archival work, but it is not a magic solution. These guidelines set out what it means to make collections ‘AI-ready’: careful preparation, clear documentation, and robust governance. With this foundation, GLAM organisations can evaluate proposed AI uses realistically, reduce risks, and deliver benefits such as improved discovery and access in a responsible way.”
John Chambers, the ARA CEO, added: “We are very pleased to have funded such an important and useful project. These guidelines will help many of our members, and others in the record-keeping sector, both to advocate for and to manage calls for AI to be used in the archives and records services where they work. We already know AI has pros and cons; providing guidance on how to balance the benefits with the risks is key, and these guidelines are one such key.”
The project was funded through the Archives and Records Association’s Research, Development and Advocacy Fund, which supports research and innovation across the record-keeping profession. The FLAME project was one of two AI-related projects funded by ARA in September 2024, alongside a project led by Liverpool University’s Centre for Archive Studies on AI and machine learning for catalogue conversion.
The AI Preparedness Guidelines for Archivists are available now at:
https://www.archives.org.uk/ai-preparedness-guidelines-for-archivists
About the authors
Professor Giovanni Colavizza
University of Copenhagen and the University of Bologna
Giovanni Colavizza is professor of digital and computational humanities at the University of Copenhagen, and associate professor of computer science at the University of Bologna. He is specialised in artificial intelligence applications for cultural heritage and the GLAM sector (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums). Colavizza is the CTO and co-founder at Odoma, a Swiss-based company providing customised AI solutions in the cultural and creative sectors.
https://centri.unibo.it/dharc/en
University of Copenhagen – Centre for Digital and Computational Humanities (CDCH): University of Copenhagen’s Centre for Digital and Computational Humanities (CDCH) is a Faculty of Humanities research hub integrating digital and computational methods, including AI and data science, through training, consultations and research infrastructure support. https://cdch.ku.dk/ (cdch.ku.dk)
University of Bologna – Digital Humanities Advanced Research Centre (/DH.arc): University of Bologna’s Digital Humanities Advanced Research Centre (/DH.arc) connects humanities scholars and computer scientists to design, develop and maintain innovative digital humanities projects, supporting researchers and institutions through collaboration, teaching and training. https://centri.unibo.it/dharc/en (centri.unibo.it)
Professor Lise Jaillant
Loughborough University
Lise Jaillant is professor of digital cultural heritage at Loughborough University. Since 2020, she has been UK PI for several funded projects on Archives and Artificial Intelligence. These international projects aim to make digitised and born-digital archives more accessible to researchers, and to use innovative research methods such as AI to analyse archival data. She enjoys working across sectors and disciplines. As a digital humanist, she has extensive experience of collaborating with computer scientists, archivists, librarians, and government professionals to unlock digital archival data with innovative technologies.
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lise-jaillant-79378252
Loughborough is one of the UK’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded eight Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education.
https://www.lboro.ac.uk/schools/social-sciences-humanities/
About the Research and Advocacy Fund
ARA maintains reserves invested for the purpose of commissioning and supporting research, development and advocacy projects involving the creation, use, administration and conservation of archives and records and the means of developing the education of archivists, records managers and conservators, and articulating and advocating the unique identity, role and contribution of records and archives, as defined by its charitable objects. These designated funds constitute the Archives and Records Association Research, Development and Advocacy Fund. The Association’s Honorary Officers make grants from this Fund, on behalf of the Archives and Records Association Board.