From Curiosity to Policy: Responsible AI Use For Museum Professionals

ID: WMA2026_586

Track:

As informal AI use becomes more common, museums face ethical, legal, and reputational risks if these tools are used without clear, values-aligned guidance. This session moves beyond theory to practical guidance about using AI in a responsible way. Participants will look at how AI is already showing up in museum work, talk through common use cases, and start drafting a responsible AI use policy they can bring back to their institution. Grounded in the AAM’s Code of Ethics and a commitment to public trust, this session is designed to help attendees understand the ethical risks to responsibly use AI with confidence.

Session Information

Format: Regular session/panel (roundtable, single speaker, etc.)

Uniqueness: Unprincipled AI use can expose museums to legal and ethical risk. This session, presented from an ethical lens, minimizes risk and practically charts a responsible path forward.

Objectives:

• Recognize where use of AI creates ethical and legal risk. Participants will recognize how AI is already showing up in museum work and where it creates risk. 

• Evaluate real-world AI use cases through an ethical lens Through discussion and examples, participants will evaluate ethical risks in common AI use cases (e.g., marketing, collections, education) and how it connects to existing professional values. 

• Begin drafting a responsible AI use framework Participants will start outlining a simple, adaptable framework or policy they can take back to their organization. This will include guiding principles, boundaries for use, and next steps for staff conversations.

Engagement: We’ll start with a quick audience poll to understand attendees’ experience with AI and the questions or concerns they’re bringing into the room. Panelists will adjust the conversation in real time so it’s relevant and useful. Throughout the session, participants will be invited to reflect, share examples, and begin shaping ideas for their own policies. We’ll need a projector and internet connection.

Relationship to Theme:

Audience

Audiences: Curators/Scientists/Historians Marketing & Communications (Including Social Media) Other Technology 

Professional Level: All levels 

Scalability:

Rather than focusing on specific tools, we center on shared values and practical decision-making frameworks that can scale to different levels of capacity.

Participants will leave with adaptable strategies that can be applied whether AI use is informal or already embedded in workflows. The session creates a shared foundation that resonates across roles, departments, and institutional sizes.

Participants