Researcher and CULTMED project team member Dr Barbara Lovrinić Higgins participated in the 6th DARIAH-HR International Conference – Digital Humanities & Heritage: Cultural Memory vs. Machine Memory, held from 7 to 9 October 2026 at the Faculty of Humanities, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula.
As part of the conference session Cultural Heritage Institutions, Representation and Digital Access, she delivered a presentation entitled “Bridging the Reality Gap: Institutional Autonomy in the Age of Machine Memory.” The presentation addressed the gap between European policies promoting open access to digital cultural heritage and their implementation in cultural heritage institutions, with particular emphasis on institutional autonomy, the management of digital collections, and their reuse. Drawing on an analysis of European policies and expert interviews, the presentation examined the factors influencing institutional decisions regarding access to and openness of digitised cultural heritage, including licensing, institutional resources, and questions of ownership, responsibility, and risk.
Particular attention was given to the impact of generative artificial intelligence on the relationship between cultural memory and machine memory. The presentation highlighted how decisions made by cultural heritage institutions regarding access to and reuse of digitised collections affect not only the public availability of cultural heritage but also which cultural values, knowledge, and narratives are represented in AI systems.
The presentation emphasised the need to reconsider the role of cultural heritage institutions in the digital environment, not merely as providers of cultural data, but as active stewards and mediators of cultural memory in the age of artificial intelligence.
More information about the conference is available on the official DARIAH-HR conference website.
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6th DARIAH-HR International ConferenceDigital Humanities & Heritage: Cultural Memory vs. Machine Memory
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6th DARIAH-HR International ConferenceDigital Humanities & Heritage: Cultural Memory vs. Machine Memory
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6th DARIAH-HR International ConferenceDigital Humanities & Heritage: Cultural Memory vs. Machine Memory
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6th DARIAH-HR International ConferenceDigital Humanities & Heritage: Cultural Memory vs. Machine Memory
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6th DARIAH-HR International ConferenceDigital Humanities & Heritage: Cultural Memory vs. Machine Memory
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6th DARIAH-HR International ConferenceDigital Humanities & Heritage: Cultural Memory vs. Machine Memory
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6th DARIAH-HR International ConferenceDigital Humanities & Heritage: Cultural Memory vs. Machine Memory
