Customers: Austrian museums and memorial sites
CiMo Partner: Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
Challenge
Many Austrian museums face similar challenges in the area of digitalization: they have large collections of artifacts and documents, some of which are not digitized and must be digitized in a time-consuming, often manual process; existing specialist databases often lack essential functions that would accelerate internal processes and make everyday work easier, and in general, human and financial resources are limited. At the same time, visitors increasingly expect digital and accessible offerings as well as personalized visitor experiences.
AI offers significant opportunities in these areas. However, many museums lack awareness of the possibilities of AI, particularly beyond simple text and image generation with large language models. Strategic frameworks required for evaluating and implementing such technologies are also missing.
Methods
To close this gap, the AI Activation Lab was developed as part of Crowd in Motion: a one-day workshop that helps museums understand AI, identify suitable use cases, and plan initial strategic steps for AI implementation. The approach is based on Design Thinking and is deliberately practice-oriented.
The workshop consists of four parts:
- Introduction to AI with practical exercises (texts, images, data analysis)
- Analysis of problems and workflows in the museum (process mapping and pain point identification)
- Development of concrete AI ideas and use cases (exploration of suitable AI technologies, development of use cases, data requirements, make-or-buy analyses, legal and ethical considerations)
- Definition of next steps for implementing the defined use case
In March 2025, a pilot workshop started with four museums in Carinthia. This was followed by a nationwide rollout across Austria via the Museums Association, with numerous successfully conducted workshops.
Results and Impact
A total of 30 Austrian museums were supported in engaging with AI in a structured and practice-oriented way. Participants gained an understanding that AI goes far beyond ChatGPT and encompasses various technologies and use cases. Even with little prior digital experience, concrete starting points for the introduction of AI could be identified during the workshop, and concrete AI roadmaps for further decision-making and follow-up projects were developed.
Example use cases that were worked on:
- Automated metadata generation for collection objects
- Computer vision for object identification and visual analysis
- Multilingual exhibition texts and audio guides
- Transcription of historical handwriting (Kurrent, Fraktur)
- Personalized visitor guidance
- AI-supported processing of emails and inquiries
