AI is already part of work at 57% of museums responding to UNESCO and ICOM’s first global survey of its use in the sector. The results, presented on 17 September, cover more than 400 museums across 90 countries.[1]
The organisers describe adoption as largely exploratory or led by staff, rather than established across whole institutions. Activities include administration, communication, collections research and documentation, alongside exhibition development and visitor engagement. A museum can therefore report AI use without having made it an institution-wide practice.[1]
Only 17% of responding museums reported providing AI training to staff. Separately, 55% had no internal AI policy, strategy or guidelines. That second figure concerns respondents overall; it does not mean that 55% of AI-using museums lacked a policy.[1]
The recruitment process helps define what these figures represent. In May, ICOM invited institutions of all types and sizes to complete an online survey by 21 July, with questions available in six languages. The resulting percentages describe the museums that responded, rather than a count of every museum worldwide.[2]
Useful institutional support starts with identifying who already uses AI, their tasks and the help they need.[1]
Sources & further reading
- UNESCO and ICOM global survey finds museums embracing AI, but governance and capacity lag behind International Council of Museums · 17 Sep 2026 · Accessed 20 Oct 2026
- UNESCO and ICOM Launch Global Survey on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Museums International Council of Museums · 21 May 2026 · Accessed 20 Oct 2026