AI is already tagging metadata, transcribing audio collections, and identifying faces in historical photographs. Here's what that means for your career and what to do about it.
AI won't replace digital archivists, but it's already replacing some of the work archivists do. Automated tools now handle bulk description, OCR, and format migration that once took weeks. Contextual judgment, preservation ethics, and community trust remain irreplaceable.
TASK LEVEL RISK
Most of the work stays human. AI assists at the edges.
AI is handling specific tasks. The core role is intact but shifting.
AI is automating significant portions of the work. Adaptation is essential.
Higher risk
metadata tagging, OCR processing, format identification, duplicate detection, basic transcription, keyword indexing, file format migration
Lower risk
appraisal decisions, donor negotiations, access policy design, ethical review of sensitive materials, community consultation, preservation strategy
Digital archiving depends on contextual judgment, ethical stewardship of sensitive records, and relationships with donors and communities that AI cannot replicate.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
Skills to build for the AI era
New skills - Adapt to the AI landscape
New skills - Adapt to the AI landscape
Using tools like ArchivesSpace plugins and machine learning models to generate, review, and correct large-scale descriptive metadata efficiently.
Applying Python, natural language processing, and clustering algorithms to analyze patterns across massive digital collections and born-digital records.
Evaluating AI-generated descriptions for cultural bias, misidentification, and colonial framings that harm underrepresented communities in historical records.
Building interoperable knowledge graphs using RDF, SPARQL, and Wikidata to connect archival holdings across institutions and disciplines.
Timeless skills - What AI can't replicate
Timeless skills - What AI can't replicate
Balancing access, privacy, and cultural sensitivity when appraising records, especially those affecting marginalized or vulnerable communities.
Cultivating trust with individuals and organizations to secure meaningful acquisitions and negotiate thoughtful access and rights agreements.
Deciding what carries lasting evidential or historical value requires cultural literacy and long-term perspective no algorithm reliably provides.
THE FULL PICTURE
What AI can do, what it can't, and where the career is headed
What AI can already do
- Auto-generate metadata from documents and images
- Transcribe audio and video recordings at scale
- Detect duplicate files and near-duplicates across collections
- Identify at-risk file formats needing migration
- Extract entities, names, and dates from unstructured text
- Cluster related items to suggest collection groupings
What AI can't do
- Decide what deserves permanent preservation and what does not.
- Negotiate with donors about access restrictions and copyright transfer.
- Weigh privacy harms against research value for sensitive records.
- Build trust with indigenous communities over cultural heritage materials.
- These are the core contributions of Digital Archivists, and they remain entirely human.
Digital archivists who master AI tools while defending ethical stewardship will shape how societies remember the digital era.
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Job outlook
The BLS projects archivist, curator, and museum worker employment to grow 10% from 2024 to 2034, faster than average. Demand is strongest at universities, government agencies, and corporate archives digitizing legacy holdings. Specialists in digital preservation, born-digital records, and data curation have the strongest prospects.