Unlocking Hidden Stories: How AI is Transforming Audiovisual Collections at the NFSA

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping how cultural institutions engage with their collections, and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is at the forefront of this transformation. In a recent presentation, Jacqui Uhlmann, Head of Collection, and Tamara Osicka, Curatorial Operations Assistant Manager, shared insights from their pioneering AI pilot programme, exploring both the immense opportunities and the challenges that come with integrating AI into collection management.

AI: A Game-Changer for Audiovisual Discoverability

The NFSA’s vast audiovisual collection spans decades of Australian history, comprising everything from feature films and radio broadcasts to oral histories and video games. Traditionally, curators and archivists have relied on catalogue records and institutional expertise to navigate this treasure trove. However, as the collection continues to grow, these traditional methods face significant limitations.

Enter AI tools such as facial and object recognition, speech-to-text transcription, and optical character recognition. These technologies have dramatically improved the NFSA’s ability to search and interpret their collection, unlocking content that was previously hidden or overlooked. For example, where a curator might have spent hours manually searching through archival footage, AI can now surface relevant materials in seconds.

Balancing Opportunity with Responsibility

While AI offers incredible efficiency and insight, it also brings a host of ethical and practical challenges. Sensitive content, including culturally significant Indigenous materials and explicit audiovisual content, must be handled with care. AI’s capacity for rapid and sweeping analysis raises important questions about how to prevent inadvertent exposure to distressing material.

During the AI pilot, the NFSA team discovered that traditional checks and balances embedded in catalogue records could sometimes be bypassed by AI searches. This required them to rethink access controls and ensure that both staff and systems were prepared to handle potentially sensitive discoveries.

Lessons Learned from the AI Pilot

The NFSA’s experience with AI revealed several key takeaways:

• Collaboration is Essential: Successful implementation of AI tools requires collaboration across technical teams, curators, and collection managers. Each team brings a unique perspective and skill set that contributes to the overall success of the project. Digital transformation is not just a technical process but an organisational one, and open communication is key.
• AI Complements, Not Replaces, Expertise: AI is a powerful tool, but it works best alongside human expertise, not in place of it. Curators and archivists bring contextual understanding, ethical considerations, and nuanced judgment that AI alone cannot replicate.
• Sensitivity is Paramount: From Indigenous materials to historical records containing distressing content, institutions must carefully consider how AI surfaces and displays sensitive materials. Proactive measures, such as content warnings, access controls, and ongoing staff training, are essential to maintaining ethical standards.
• The Importance of Continuous Learning: AI tools evolve over time, and so must the teams using them. Regular training, iterative improvements, and feedback loops ensure that staff remain confident and competent in leveraging these technologies effectively.
• Scalability and Sustainability: Implementing AI at scale in large collections can be costly, both in terms of financial resources and computational power. Institutions must consider long-term sustainability, ensuring that AI solutions remain financially viable and technically adaptable.
• Refining Search Capabilities: AI searches often return massive volumes of results, which can be overwhelming. The NFSA team highlighted the importance of refining search algorithms, improving indexing, and developing user-friendly interfaces to help users navigate large datasets efficiently.
• Ethical Considerations Around Data Sovereignty: As AI systems process vast amounts of data, institutions must remain vigilant about where their data is stored, how it is processed, and who has access to it. Ensuring data sovereignty is critical for maintaining trust and compliance.

AI and the Future of Collections Management 

The NFSA’s pilot programme has laid the groundwork for a future where AI plays an integral role in audiovisual collection management. The team envisions AI tools that can:

• Generate accurate transcripts and summaries.
• Identify errors in catalogue records.
• Flag sensitive or harmful content more effectively.
• Handle complex searches across both catalogue data and audiovisual content.

A Cautious Optimism

As Jacqui Uhlmann and Tamara Osicka emphasised, AI is not a silver bullet—it’s a tool, one that requires careful oversight, ongoing learning, and an institutional commitment to ethical practice. The NFSA’s journey showcases not just the potential of AI, but also the importance of balancing innovation with responsibility.

For cultural institutions worldwide, the NFSA’s experience offers a valuable blueprint for integrating AI into collection management—a journey filled with discovery, reflection, and transformation.

–

Learn more about how museums are using AI to revolutionise collections at MuseumNext’s Museum AI Summit.