Events
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 symposium brings together a cross-section of perspectives inter-related communities to 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.
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?
Speakers (still being added):
Presented with support from the National Film Preservation Board.