Robert Kilroy presents The Museum in an Age of AI.
The Hunt Museum in a Changing Global Landscape What is the role of the museum in a world where human intelligence is increasingly under threat from machine-based knowledge? Museums have become accustomed to addressing such complex questions. The decision by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) to update the definition of the museum in 2022 was seen by many as inscribing a new identity for the institution.
After the challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, museums across the globe have started to actively respond to a range of societal changes. At the heart of this mission is a competing set of priorities: how does the museum remain inclusive and socially engaged while also protecting and safeguarding cultural heritage? In a digital age, this tension becomes more pronounced. But the fact remains: against the flood of disinformation (and now AI) the museum stands as a beacon of material truth and evidence-based knowledge.
By sketching the contemporary context in which museums now operate, this talk will ask: where do we situate the Hunt Museum in this changing global landscape? How might the Hunt collection, with its emphasis on trans-cultural dialogue, offer a new way forward that seeks to include the visitor as an active participant? And how might museums like the Hunt, which are central threads in the historic and cultural fabric of Limerick city, help tell a new story of contemporary Ireland?
Dr. Robert Kilroy is a former Curator for Modern & Contemporary Art at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. He holds a PHD from Trinity College Dublin on the work of the artist Marcel Duchamp and currently lectures in Limerick School of Art & Design in the area of Art & Design Education with Design & AI Focus.
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The Hunt Museum, Custom House, Rutland Street, Limerick City
