Vladimir Opredelenov spoke today at the “Resilient cultural heritage in times of climate crisis” workshop, organized by the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) in Berlin with the topic “The digital future of memory institutions: challenges of preserving cultural heritage using AI and blockchain in the context of climate change”.
The main points:
The introduction of cutting-edge technologies such as high-precision digitalization, artificial intelligence and blockchain open up incredible opportunities for preserving and promoting cultural heritage. However, we must be careful about their environmental impacts.
These technologies can undoubtedly exacerbate environmental problems, contributing to the climate crisis through an exponential increase in data volumes and computing loads, which significantly increases energy consumption. Our task is to find ways to balance innovative approaches with their environmental impact. We discussed how critical it is to ensure that cultural institutions not only innovate, but also do so responsibly.
The event paid special attention to the problems of using technology in memory institutions - from combating disinformation to managing digital twins and issues of digital immortality. It is obvious that reliable long-term storage of data without redundancy is required for these purposes.
This experience confirmed my idea that one of the key areas of our work should be the conscious consumption of digital technologies. We must use the tools available to us as wisely and effectively as possible, taking into account how they affect climate change.