International Archives Symposium in Namur (2025). Open Data and AI. New chances for Archives? Proceedings

Archives are undergoing profound transformation. As institutions preserving cultural heritage and providing reliable information for society, public administrations, and research, they face new expectations shaped by digitisation and, increasingly, by artificial intelligence. The contributions in this volume reflect the diversity of opportunities AI offers: making large volumes of archival material more accessible, unlocking previously hard-to-reach sources, and enabling new forms of use. Yet the articles equally demonstrate that this path is not without challenges. Questions of result quality, handling uncertainty, preserving historical context, and navigating a complex European legal framework for personal and non-personal data all require careful consideration. A shared conclusion emerges: AI can powerfully support archival work, but cannot replace it.