Council of Europe adopts new guidelines on AI and cultural policy

The guidelines are designed to support member states as they navigate the intersection of digital innovation and cultural policy. Structured around four main policy objectives, the document offers a strategic framework to ensure that emerging technologies, particularly AI, are used in ways that promote democratic values, equal access, and social trust. The four policy objectives are as follows:

1. Enhance equal access to AI systems
2. Build trust in the use of AI
3. Ensure safe, secure and trustworthy use of AI
4. Encourage interdisciplinary and international co-operation

Rooted in the principles of the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, the guidelines address both the opportunities and risks posed by AI in cultural contexts. They emphasise the importance of safeguarding human rights, while also encouraging innovation and collaboration across borders.

• Access and read ‘Guidelines given the latest technological developments, such as AI, complementing Council of Europe standards in the fields of culture, creativity and cultural heritage’

The Council of Europe has spent significant time assessing how technologies like AI are shaping the cultural landscape from heritage preservation and artistic creation to accessibility and participation in cultural life. The result is a forward-looking set of measures that seek to empower cultural sectors while ensuring that technology serves people, not the other way around.

NEMO's thoughts on AI

NEMO is continuously working on the topic of museums and AI since our 2024 international conference Innovation and Integrity: Museums paving the way in an AI-driven society, held in Brussels, that culminated in three key recommendations for policy makers:

1. A political vision for museums and cultural heritage in an AI-driven society  
   Recognising the unique position of museums and cultural heritage as pillars of trust within society, it is imperative to integrate them into a regulatory framework. Artificial intelligence in museums needs to be addressed and shaped so that technological developments do not simply reshape museums from the outside. Collaborative efforts between governments, regulatory bodies, and museum professionals can ensure that museums play a pivotal role in the development of ethical practices related to emerging technologies.
2. Financial investments to apply AI successfully in the Public Cultural Domain
   Financial resources must be allocated for infrastructure, equipment and highly qualified human resources, enhancing museums’ professional capacities.AI needs to source high-quality, interoperable data and properly described metadata. Copyright issues must be resolved. Museum professionals need adequate skills to perform these tasks, to keep pace with rapidly evolving AI capabilities and to address sector-specific concerns. Furthermore, standing commitments to support the cultural heritage sector should be expanded to ensure the quality and quantity of digitalisation required by Cultural Heritage Data Spaces and the European Collaborative Cultural Heritage Cloud.
3. Establishment of a European AI innovation hub for cultural heritage 
   To foster creativity, innovation and collaboration, to centralise expertise and knowledge and to face challenges for the sector associated with AI, there is a need for a dedicated competency centre in Europe. This space would serve as a hub to bring together expertise and practices, knowledge and resources in a network of and for professionals, ensuring digital innovation and development across the diverse European Cultural heritage sector - in alignment with the values of human-centred design, privacy, and open-source practices.