Smithsonian uses AI to connect artifacts from American Revolution

The Smithsonian Institution is leveraging artificial intelligence to bridge the gap between the American Revolution and the modern age, aiming to enhance public and scholarly understanding of its vast collection. This initiative coincides with the United States' upcoming 250th anniversary of independence.

The project, known as Revolution Crossroads, utilizes AI models to identify connections across artifacts and historical records that would previously have required extensive manual research. For example, researchers have linked a silversmith who advertised in the 1770s for a creamer, similar to one housed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, to historical records at the Library of Congress.

Leaders of the Smithsonian hope this technology will surface new narratives about individuals whose lives have largely faded from historical records. "An ideal scenario is that we get to a place where we're actually adding to the public record," said Becky Kobberod, the Smithsonian's chief digital and innovation officer. "Maybe they're not Thomas Jefferson or George Washington, but they did live in a community and build that community, and that name is now known."

Since its establishment in 1846, the Smithsonian has chronicled the nation's history and culture. This work has taken on heightened significance amidst ongoing debates about historical interpretation. Kobberod's team has identified approximately 10,000 objects related to people living between 1770 and 1810, necessitating the digitization of many items to make them accessible to AI.

Natalie Buda Smith, director of digital strategy at the Library of Congress, highlighted the project's ability to assist researchers navigating the extensive resources of multiple institutions. "The creamer example illustrates that there's a richness out there and you might find part of the story at the Smithsonian and part of the story at the library," she said. "Open up those doors to people so they can understand, because they found it in the Smithsonian doesn't mean it's the end of the story."

The Smithsonian is employing AI at a time of considerable discussion surrounding its ethical implications and potential risks. Kobberod stated that the institution is not utilizing the most advanced AI models that have drawn recent scrutiny. She also stressed the critical role of human oversight, with trained historians reviewing the data to ensure historical nuance is preserved, a task that current AI cannot replicate.

"What they might say is, ‘actually that is a known nickname for so-and-so’ or ‘that is a generic term that’s used for X, Y, Z,’" Kobberod explained. "That is the nuance that a historian or someone who's spent their whole career studying that time period is going to know that a machine is not."

Despite these considerations, Kobberod emphasized the need to embrace AI's evolving capabilities. "It's not going away," she said. "We do believe we need to lean in and figure out the part that this technology plays in our work."