How the Smithsonian is using AI to connect artifacts from the American Revolution
The distance in the march from the American Revolution to the age of artificial intelligence is almost beyond comprehension. But leaders of the Smithsonian Institution are using AI to bridge the divide.
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary of independence, the Smithsonian Institution is leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance understanding of artifacts tied to the American Revolution. The goal is to enable researchers and the public to search and analyze the museum's collection, as well as connect it with other institutions like the Library of Congress, for a more comprehensive view of how communities formed during the nation's birth.
Since applying AI models in the spring, researchers have discovered connections between objects that would have required extensive manual searches across multiple catalogs. For instance, a silversmith running newspaper ads for a creamer around 1774 was linked to a similar piece held at the National Museum of American History. The ultimate aim is to uncover new stories about individuals whose lives have been lost to history.
Becky Kobberod, the Smithsonian's chief digital and innovation officer, highlighted the importance of human oversight in the research, emphasizing that trained historians review the data and can discern nuances that AI might miss. The Smithsonian, which spans 21 museums and galleries, has identified about 10,000 objects related to the 40-year period from 1770 to 1810.
The public can search these records online, and the project serves as a reminder of the institutions' engagement with rapidly evolving technology.
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