The PREMIERE project, alongside Horizon Europe cluster partners (MEMENTOES, MEMORISE, MUSE-IT, SHIFT, and PERCEIVE), recently participated in the conference “ReAImagining Public Collections in the 21st Century in Light of Digital Development”, held in Budapest. The event was hold under the auspices of Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union and was organised by three distinguished Hungarian cultural institutions: the Hungarian National Museum Public Collections Centre – Hungarian National Museum, the Hungarian National Museum Public Collections Centre – National Széchényi Library, and the Hungarian National Archives.
This conference gathered cultural heritage professionals, researchers, and technology experts to discuss the challenges and possibilities that artificial intelligence and digitalisation bring to public collections and heritage.
The first day of the conference, on October 14th, focused on how AI can both enhance and challenge the management of public collections. Discussions centered on EU initiatives that support AI integration in public collections, as well as insights into AI’s expanding role in museums and libraries. Presenters explored AI’s potential applications, regulatory considerations, and data protection concerns in the context of cultural heritage. The day’s panel discussion, featuring representatives from Horizon Europe projects, highlighted the transformative potential of AI, particularly in enhancing accessibility and digital engagement in museum settings.
As part of the session titled “Artificial Intelligence in Public Collections”, Horizon Europe cluster projects presented their contributions to AI-driven advancements in cultural heritage preservation and accessibility. Christina Tsita (MEMENTOES), Nicklas Sindlev Andersen (MEMORISE), Maud Ntonga (MUSE-IT), Laura Martel (PERCEIVE), and Marc Hernández Güell (PREMIERE) shared insights into each project’s objectives and ongoing progress accompanied with demo videos of projects’ tools. The session opened with a Horizon cluster introduction to the projects, setting the stage for individual presentations followed by an engaging panel discussion among participants.
The conference, featuring esteemed speakers from European institutions including IFLA, EBLIDA, AVICOM, and E-RIHS, alongside representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture (DG EAC), served as a valuable platform to examine the intersections of digital development and public collections.