As professionals in galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) debate how emerging technology will change jobs and the preservation of history, some organizations in Ottawa are experimenting with AI to transcribe and digitalize record collections.
Mounting pressure to apply AI tools in GLAM work is making professionals worry about “job obsolescence,” the idea that employers will replace humans with more efficient technology. They’re also trying to balance the ethical risks AI poses to the integrity of records with the potential to speed up low-risk work.
Paul Durand, supervisor of the Military History Research Centre at the Canadian War Museum, says the centre’s first step in adopting AI is to make sure it’s reliable.
“I’d say one of the big challenges is trustworthiness and just making sure that we’re using AI responsibly and ethically,” Durand says.
Durand says the museum is using AI for menial tasks like transcription, but they haven’t found a need to use AI yet in the rest of their public-facing work.
“We wouldn’t use AI in a way that would risk the authenticity of what we’re doing,” says Durand. “Anywhere where there’s a risk, if AI is going to do something that we don’t trust, we just don’t use it.”
Museums and libraries play an important role in developing critical thinking skills, Durand says. While AI tools can quickly generate content, they can just as easily give unhelpful answers with the wrong prompts, he warns.
“I fear that there could be a generation that relies heavily on AI to do research,” said Durand. “I think as a library, archive, museum or research institution, it’s our responsibility to educate and show people not to rely on AI to do that research for you.”
When it comes to research, André Vellino, director of information studies at the University of Ottawa, says AI often blends facts with fiction.
“The need for reliability and information is becoming all the more evident,” Vellino told Capital Current. “The need for certainty, for accuracy, is now greater than it was before thanks to AI’s mistakes.”
Even though AI tools can be inaccurate, they can also improve how people work with and manage information.
In a 2025 Journal of Library Metadata study, researchers in Nigeria found that librarians benefited from AI. They were able to offer better customer support and improve their cataloguing systems, among other positive results.
“The integration of AI in cataloging has the potential to redefine the role of librarians. By automating routine tasks, librarians can focus on higher-order responsibilities, such as curation, user education, and community engagement,” the study concluded.
The study also found risks to data privacy and of job obsolescence.
Vellino says he believes libraries aren’t far from fully adopting AI tools.
“AIs are going to be better at doing academic research,” said Vellino. “They’re going to be better at cataloguing, they’re going to be better at generating metadata. I think it’s inevitable. I understand the pushback that says, ‘this is my job, don’t take my job away.’ But I think the optimistic way of looking at it is, ‘how is my job going to change?’”
While many industries remain hesitant, public access to AI tools like ChatGPT means students and researchers are already using it. So how will GLAM industries adjust?
In November, the 43rd UNESCO General Conference brought together cultural heritage leaders and museum experts to discuss the role of AI in museums.
Yannick Lintz, director of the Musée Guimet in France, said preserving heritage is crucial, but the possibilities offered by adopting AI tools are profound.
“A museum is a conservatory of humanity’s heritage,” Lintz said at the conference. “If we preserve this heritage, it is also so that we can share it with everyone, because it belongs to all humankind. It is therefore for these two purposes — preservation and accessibility — that we must seize the opportunity offered by artificial intelligence.”
AIs are going to be better at doing academic research. They’re going to be better at cataloguing, they’re going to be better at generating metadata. I think it’s inevitable. I understand the pushback that says ‘this is my job, don’t take my job away.’ But, I think the optimistic way of looking at it is, ‘how is my job going to change?’
André Vellino, University of Ottawa
Edward Bilodeau, associate librarian at Carleton University’s MacOdrum Library, says libraries will play a big role in teaching students AI literacy while also allowing librarians to focus on other priority areas. He added that it’s just one in a series of technological innovations that impact libraries, but it’s more substantial than a “new version of Windows or a new database.”
“It’s going to require a deeper level of change,” said Bilodeau. “There are aspects of what we do which are important, and we need to make sure those get brought over with the technological change. This will give us the ability to focus on things like intellectual property, academic rigour, and discovery.”
On top of assisting with research, Vellino says AI’s ability to problem solve could help fix some of society’s more existential dilemmas. He says using AI to look inward will be essential to reaping its full benefits.
“[AI] is going to make it more important to start asking the right questions,” said Vellino. “What’s important? What are the good scientific, social, ethical, issues that we need to get answered by these much more intelligent machines? Then, we’ll have armies at our disposal to do the work of analyzing data and finding solutions to things.
“I think information professionals are not just going to be important, they’re going to be in high demand over the long term,” he continued. “For society, we’re going to want people we can rely on.”
