September 30, 2026
8:00am – 2:00pm (Pacific)
Online

Generative AI is changing how archives create, manage, preserve, and provide access to collections. It is also raising new questions about authenticity, copyright, licensing, provenance, and what it means to steward the historical record in an environment where authentic and synthetic records increasingly coexist.

Building on the work of the Trust in Archives Initiative, this one-day virtual symposium brings together perspectives from inter-related communities to explore how generative AI is reshaping archival practice. Speakers will share current initiatives, practical experiences, and emerging approaches to preserving authenticity, supporting responsible access, and maintaining trust in archival collections.

The symposium is designed to encourage conversation across disciplines. Throughout the day, participants will hear how different organizations are approaching common challenges, explore where priorities and practices align, and consider where further collaboration is needed. The day will conclude with an open discussion, providing an opportunity to exchange ideas, identify shared needs, and help inform the next phase of community efforts.

Symposium Keynote:  Stewardship and GenAI: A Keynote Conversation

As generative AI is rapidly changing how audiovisual materials are accessed, reused, and understood, archives are facing new questions about openness, stewardship, and trust. In this keynote conversation, Brenda Gunn, Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Preservation at the University of Virginia and president of Society of American Archivists, joins Dave Hansen, Executive Director of Authors Alliance, to talk about how long-standing values around open access, responsible use, attribution, and donor intent can help inform the decisions archives make around the potential impact of the tech on their collections.

While both speakers share a commitment to openness and access they bring different perspectives to how those principles apply as genAI continues to evolve. The conversation will look at some of the practical questions archives are already navigating: How do we maintain access while considering commercial use of collections? Will donors be less willing to make materials publicly available without greater protections? And what does meaningful attribution look like when archival materials are being used in new ways?

THE PROGRAM

• See the full Program

Sessions throughout the day will look at the work already underway, from security and authentication to licensing and copyright, while mapping how organizations and initiatives are responding across the broader community.

• Research
  Findings from two research efforts on how GenAI is impacting archival practices.
• Security
  The security concerns for collections and institutions as the technology ev
• Mapping the Response
  As GenAI evolves, so does the response. Presenters will share how their initiatives are addressing emerging challenges, helping practitioners understand what’s at stake, and developing new standards, policies, and approaches for the work ahead.
• Reports from the Field
  No single organization or discipline has the full picture. This session will offer snapshots from individual organizations on their approach, collectively offering a more comprehensive view of the landscape.
• Licensing
  Perspectives from across the archival footage licensing landscape on how generative AI is reshaping licensing, including emerging attribution and consent frameworks and shifting client expectations.
• Copyright
  Generative AI and copyright, and what it means in practice for archives and those licensing their material.
• Open Forums
  There will be two open forum sessions during the day, allowing participants to ask questions and share information.

Speakers (still being added):

• Ottar Anderson, DOAWG
• Patricia Aufderheide, American University
• Lou Burkart, Eye Filmmuseum
• Luciana Duranti, InterPARES Trust AI
• Charlie Eckert, Global Imageworks
• Elizabeth Hansen, Texas Archive of the Moving Image
• Shanna Hollich, CC Signals
• Kate Murray, Library of Congress
• Yvonne Ng, WITNESS
• Kay Page, FOCAL
• Brendan Quinn, IPTC
• Brian Real, University of Kentucky School of Information Science
• Megan Scott, Woodson Research Center
• Eric Scouten, CAWG
• Nick Spark, Periscope
• Garth Stewart, Digital Preservation Coalition
• Keir Winesmith, National Film & Sound Archive

Presented with support from the National Film Preservation Board.