Have a cup of… exchange

At IATM’s “The AI Shift” we want to explore the advantages and shortcomings of AI in an interactive World-Café-Session. At five tables, you can exchange your experiences, learn from others and gather ideas for your work. This article explains the World-Café-Format and highlights some of the topics we’ll bring to the table.

What’s a World Café?

With this conversational format, we want to spark conversations and enable cross-over exchange. So, how does it work? In a World Café everyone sits at a table just like in a café. Each table has a focus topic. One person at the table is hosting the conversation, e.g. first by sharing a certain example on the focus topic. Participants are invited to respond to the story, add their own, ask questions or else. Notable aspects of the conversation can be documented on the “table cloth”, which is often a large piece of paper covering the entire table that everyone can write on.

After a certain period of time, a signal occurs and the participants are invited to move to another table. Depending on the chosen format, they can move as a group or individually. A selected person or the host remains at the table. In our case it will be the latter. When everyone has found a new seat, the host starts the conversation through a summary of what’s been discussed earlier. Everyone else can engage as previously done, especially by adding aspects that may have been of interest at another table. This exchange and switching between tables continues until everyone has had the chance to sit at each table (excluding the hosts).

What is the World Café at “The AI Shift” going to focus on?

Our five experts will enable discussions on a variety of topics representing the manifold departments of museums and associated companies. Accordingly, the table hosts provide their experiences in the fields of inventarisation and documentation, visitor experience and educational programmes as well as ideas on approaching AI from historic perspectives.

The Tables aka Topics in Detail

Enhancing Visitor Experience and Organizational Workflows with AI

Ute Dotti, Chief of Exhibition and Collection at the Swiss Museum of Transport will be hosting this table on the potential role of AI in museum practice.

She will discuss the museum’s experiences and plans of using AI. Especially, for visitor engagement and behind the scenes. In addition, you will examine the dimensions of AI in exhibitions, their development, organizational capabilities, and potential partnerships. In effect, asking: What is your understanding of the role of AI? Should exhibitions use AI to intensify the visitor interaction? Should we explain and demystify AI? The Swiss Museum of Transport looks forward to a lively exchange and many valuable insights.

Why we fAIled so far

At this table, Dr Tabea Widmann, Digital Education at Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen takes you on a tour of failures. Sounds like the wrong direction? The goal is to gain a positive outlook. “With ‘Why we fAIled so far’ we want to address the various challenges that the emergence of AI has brought and will bring for our educational mission on the one hand and our own work processes on the other.” Starting from insights into the Zeppelin Museum’s educational programme for the upcoming exhibition “Image and Power”. It focuses on media literacy and digital competences. Then, building on the questions accompanying this process, the discussion can start.

Artificial Intelligence! Archival Turn in Museums?

AI tools are seemingly revolutionizing not only world-wide search engines, but also scientific methods. But how do we identify the advantages as well as shortcomings when it comes to museums and their archives? Michael Falser, Head of the Research Institute at Vienna Museum of Science and Technology presents current case studies of AI-supported applications in archival research at the Museum, and thus, opens the floor for critical discussions.

n a round closely connected to the archive, Jana Deutschländer of the German-based software company Solvatec GmbH, takes a look at inventarisation and AI. How can AI assist and be implemented in software solutions for museums? What are the advantages, what are possible challenges?

History and breakthrough of AI

At this table we would like to explore how a historical perspective can help frame the discussion on the impact of AI. Which pivotal events in the history of AI should we focus on? How does this help us recognise and define individual traditions within the very broad and heterogenous field of AI? Can this help us come to terms with its impact? Does it help counter narratives of fear? What historical items should we aim to preserve? Can museums, with their collections and through their public reach, offer a unique contribution to the way in which we approach and develop this new technology?

The conversation at this table will be led by Dr Martin Weiß, Curator of Information Science at the café. In this case, the café is of course the TECHNOSEUM Mannheim. 😉

Have a seat…

…and join us on 16 September in Mannheim, Germany. The results of the exchanges at each table will be shared during a subsequent podium discussion. You can register here.