Research Project on AI in Bavaria's state museums

How can artificial intelligence (AI) help Bavaria’s state museums better explore and document their collections, strengthen research, and create new ways for visitors to engage with them?

These are the questions at the heart of a collaborative project funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts. The project was initiated by the University of Bayreuth and Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum, and is being carried out together with the Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst and Sammlung Goetz. 

The project runs from March to September 2026 and is closely integrated into the development of a joint digital and AI strategy for Bavaria’s state museums and collections, which is being driven by a digital curator from the state museums. The University of Bayreuth is responsible for the project’s management and execution, from identifying potential use cases to evaluating the prototypes. To launch the project, a first phase of workshops was held with representatives from the participating museums. The aim of this initial phase was to develop a shared understanding of the museums’ specific challenges, as well as the potential and limitations of AI. Building on this, the project partners identified initial areas where AI could be applied. The approaches identified so far reflect a broad range of possible use cases for AI in the museum context.

The workshops were based on a preliminary analysis of successful international examples and current technological developments. Building on this, numerous ideas were developed across the core functions of a museum, ranging from collecting and cataloging to conservation and research, and extending to education and visitor interaction.

The approaches identified so far illustrate the range of possible application scenarios in a museum context. These include, among other things, AI-supported analysis and cleaning of collection data, automated tagging of objects based on image and text data, personalized educational offerings and digital tours, as well as support in answering visitor inquiries.

As the project continues, these application areas will be further defined and analyzed. The goal is to select approaches that are technically feasible, economically viable, and particularly valuable for museum work. These will then be developed as prototypes and tested in everyday museum practice.

Beyond the participating institutions, the project aims to provide impetus for the entire Bavarian museum landscape. The approaches and prototypes developed in the project are intended to serve as a guide and blueprint for other museums, enabling them to implement AI in a structured, practical, and needs-oriented manner.