Technologies falling under the umbrella of ‘artificial intelligence’ are among the most important – and most divisive – in the current cultural landscape. While much research has been undertaken on the emerging body of narratives about AI in media, film and literature, less attention has focused on the role of museums in fashioning AI public imaginaries. This conference invites presentations that examine how museums function as spaces for creative and critical engagement with AI.

In addition to exploring the uses of AI as a tool in the mediation of heritage, we ask
- whether museums can play a productive role in managing tensions between technophilia and technophobia?
- To what extent do museums open unique opportunities for examining patterns of, and attitudes to, the uses of advanced technologies?
- Can museums create AI cultural histories and communicate ideas about the relationship between people and technology to new generations?

We welcome proposals for 20-minute presentations on topics relevant to these themes, including, but not limited to:

- Experiencing cultural objects with AI: Does the integration of AI into museums create opportunities for reflection on both technology and on the cultural objects it is designed to mediate? If so, how can technological transparency be fostered? What new roles for art historians, conservators, and curators emerge in this cross-disciplinary context?

- Education: Do museums function as sites for educating publics about AI and empowering them to engage critically with emerging technological discourses? If so, how do museums differ from other spaces of technological encounter?

- Cultural Difference: How can museums be sensitive to, and foster understanding of, different cultural attitudes to AI? Is an inclusive technological heritage so much as possible?

- Museum Experience: If museum experience is understood as a sequence of place-bound events that produce narratives with and about objects, how might AI and museography combine to improve heritage experience? What are the architectural and curatorial implications of this fusion?

- Artists: How can museums best manage ethical tensions concerning the relationship between generative AI and human creativity? Is there a new role for artists in mediating ideas about this debate and, if so, what innovative heritage discourses are emerging at this nexus?

- Public Policy: What contribution might museums make to emerging public policies about AI?

Please send an abstract of around 250 works and a short biography to Kathryn Brown (k.j.brownlboro.ac.uk) by July 24, 2026.
Notification of acceptance will be sent by August 7, 2026.

This conference is generously supported by the AHRC and Loughborough University.