La comunicazione museale nell’era dell’IA generativa: un’indagine su opportunità e sfide per il futuro

Museum communication is currently being reshaped by the profound changes introduced by generative AI, particularly Large Language Models and Multimodal Large Language Models, which open up new possibilities in terms of accessibility, inclusion, and personalised experiences, in line with the 2022 ICOM museum definition. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of GenAI in internal museum communication, with a focus on textual apparatuses (labels, panels, gallery texts, digital labels, and chatbots). The study combines a desk-based analysis with the results of the international survey “GenAI for Museum Labels”. Findings indicate an overall optimistic attitude: professionals recognise the potential of GenAI to reduce the time and costs of content production, improve linguistic, sensory and partially cognitive accessibility, and support new mediation formats. At the same time, significant concerns emerge regarding bias, hallucinations, data quality and availability, digital skills, copyright, and environmental sustainability. GenAI is not perceived as a threat to the curator’s role, but rather as a tool to be integrated within a strong editorial and scientific framework.