Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Museums – UNESCO, Samarkand 2025

Culture For Causes Network is proud to have contributed to the international conference “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Museums”.

Culture For Causes Network is proud to have contributed to the international conference “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Museums”, held as an official side event of the 43rd UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Our Head of Special Programs, Mr. Benjamin BENITA, had the honor of moderating the panel “AI in Museums Today” and joining as a panelist for “AI in Museums of Tomorrow.” The event — co-organized by UNESCO, the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), the Ministère de la Culture, and the Musée national des arts asiatiques – Musée Guimet — provided a powerful platform for dialogue between museum leaders, AI experts, and international institutions on the ethical, technological, and creative dimensions of AI in the cultural field.

We extend our sincere thanks to Mrs. Karalyn Monteil, Head of the Emergency Operations and Programmes Unit at the UNESCO Culture Sector, for her leadership and vision, and to all the organizers for their outstanding coordination.

Mrs. Gayane Umerova, Executive Director / Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan © UNESCO

H.E. Ahlem Gharbi, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to UNESCO © UNESCO

Panel “AI in Museums Today,” moderated by Mr. Benjamin Benita

Nailanna Tenório Lima, Head of Institutional Communication, Museum of Tomorrow (Brazil) © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Édouard de Saint-Ours, Curator of Photographs, Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet (France) © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Sabrina Moura De Araujo, Head of Research & Development, Louvre Abu Dhabi (UAE) © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Borina Andrieu, Managing Director, Wilmotte & Associés Architecture (France) © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Michael Merkel, Deputy Director, Archaeological Museum of Hamburg (Germany) © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Benjamin BENITA, Head of Special Programs, Culture For Causes Network, moderator © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Panel “AI in Museums of Tomorrow,” with Mr. Benjamin Benita as a speaker

Bobirmirzo Sayomov, Head of the Creative Economy Sector, Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Medea Sógor Ekner, Director General, International Council of Museums (ICOM) © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Angela Martins, Acting Director for Social Development, Culture and Sport, African Union Commission © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Toto Bergamo Rossi, Director, Venetian Heritage (Italy) © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

Jamel Oubechou, Chief of Staff, Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet (France), moderator © UNESCO/Husniddin Ato

We were also very pleased to meet and exchange with Clement Onn, Yannick LINTZ, Mohamed Zoghlami, Amaya Aramburu, Yves Ubelmann, Valentin Schmite, and Jean-Baptiste Juin — all of whom are doing remarkable work in connecting AI and cultural heritage.

Videos

Excerpt

The excerpt shared below, “AI in Museums of Tomorrow – UNESCO Samarkand 2025,” highlights key opportunities discussed by Benjamin Benita. His insights will be explored in more detail in a forthcoming newsletter.

The following video is in French; however, YouTube allows you to enable automatic subtitles in multiple languages.

Full video

The full video, recorded by UNESCO and available in French and English can be watched online here: https://webcast.unesco.org/events/2025-11-AI-Museums/