COST Action CA24129 European Cooperation in Science & Technology Funded by the European Union · 2025–2029
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Online Café WG3

AI in Media Art Conservation: Learning from Adjacent Fields and Projects

Dates
29 Oct 2026, 16.00 to 18.00 (CET)
Format
Online
Bring
Please note the presentations will be recorded and shared publicly on the EMBARK website
Venue
Hosted by
EMBARK
Online Café of COST Action CA24129.

About the programme
How can artificial intelligence support the conservation and stewardship of digital and media art and what does responsible adoption look like in practice?
Join us for a public Online Café bringing together experts from galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM), adjacent fields and European research projects to explore these questions.
Through three panels featuring 10 minute presentations and open discussions, we will explore what media art conservation can learn from current research, practical experience and emerging approaches. Topics include responsible AI implementation, ethical and legal considerations, bias, AI-assisted documentation and digital twins. The event welcomes conservators, artists, researchers, cultural heritage professionals, students and anyone interested in the intersection of AI, art and conservation. You do not need to be an EMBARK member to attend.
This Online Café is organised by Sophie Bunz, Jina Chang, Dr. Sandra Alvaro Sanchez and Dr. Yael Eylat Van Essen as part of Working Group 3 of EMBARK (European Media and Born-digital Art Conservation and Knowledge Network).

Day-by-day schedule

Thursday, 29 Oct 2026, 16.00 to 18.00 (CET) Online
16:00 – 16:15
Welcome and Into Sophie Bunz, Jina Chang
16:15 – 16:30
Panel 1: AI4Culture Dr Eirini Kaldel
16:30 – 16:45
Panel 1: LUSTRE project Prof. Lise Jaillant
16:45 – 17:00
Panel 2: BIAS project Prof. Gabriella Giannachi
17:00 – 17:15
Panel 2: AI ethics, law and media art conservation principles Freyja van den Boom
17:15 – 17:20
Break
17:20 – 17:35
Panel 3: COST Action CA23141 MAIA Managing Artificial Intelligence in Archaeology Dr Onur Birol
17:35 – 17:50
Panel 3: “Towards Hybrid Digital-Born Performance Art: A Human–AI Co-Creation Paradigm in XR Worlds” Dr Ciprian Marius Făcăeru
17:50 – 18:00
Final Questions and close of the session

01
Dr Eirini Kaldeli
Eirini Kaldeli is a senior researcher at the Artificial Intelligence and Learning Systems Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and co-founder of its spin-off, Datoptron. Her work focuses on applying AI and other digital technologies to data management, enrichment, interoperability and crowdsourcing, in cultural heritage, open data, and beyond. She has led and contributed to numerous European projects at the intersection of information technology and culture, and she coordinates the AI4Culture initiative.
02
Prof. Lise Jaillant
Lise Jaillant holds a professorship at the University of Lorraine (France), specialising in digital humanities, artificial intelligence and cultural heritage. She previously spent two decades working in the UK and Canada. Her research explores how AI can support the preservation, accessibility and responsible use of digital archives and cultural collections. She has led several international, interdisciplinary projects, including LUSTRE (Unlocking our Digital Past with AI), EyCon (Visual AI and Early Conflict Photography) and AEOLIAN (Artificial Intelligence for Cultural Organisations). Working closely with archives, museums and government institutions, she investigates the opportunities and ethical challenges of AI for cultural heritage. She has published widely on this topic: more information can be found on her website (www.lisejaillant.com)
03
Prof. Gabriella Gianachi
Gabriella Giannachi, Professor Emeritus in Performance and New Media at the University of Exeter and author of Archive Everything  and co-editor of Histories of Performance Documentation (with Jonah Westerman) and Documentation as Art (with Annet Dekker). Gabriella has been principal and co-investigator in several projects about using AI in the documentation of contemporary artworks.
04
Freyja van den Boom
Freyja Van den Boom is a Researcher and policy designer working at the intersection of transformation governance, foresight studies, and socio-legal analysis of emerging technologies. Experienced in EU-level research and innovation policy, anticipatory governance, and interdisciplinary research consortia across Europe and Asia. Combines legal, social-science and design-based methods including Causal Layered Analysis, speculative design and participatory scenario development to support co-creative, forward-looking approaches to AI governance, digital transformation and socio-technical transitions. Developer of applied foresight tools and participatory formats. Focused on translating complex socio-technical analysis into actionable policy frameworks for responsible innovation and sustainable system transitions.
05
Dr. Onur Birol
Onur Birol is a visual artist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Communication Design, Faculty of Art and Design at MAKU, Türkiye. His teaching and research focus on film, animation and game design. His research interests include virtual reality (VR) and immersive technologies, digital cultural heritage and digital game design. His work explores the use of emerging technologies in visual storytelling, interactive experiences and the interpretation and presentation of cultural heritage. He also serves as the Working Group 4 (Dissemination and Communication) Leader of the MAIA COST Action.
06
Dr Ciprian Marius Făcăeru
Ciprian Făcăeru is an interdisciplinary researcher, architect, and immersive media designer at the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” (UNATC), Bucharest, where he serves as Assistant Researcher and Lead Coordinator of the CINETic CAVE/XR Lab. With a background in architecture and set design, his research explores extended reality (XR), human-computer interaction, artificial inteligennce (AI), and emerging media technologies across artistic and scientific contexts. His research, examines the convergence of physical and virtual environments, embodied experiences, and interactive spatial narratives.