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Arts & Communication Digital restoration with generative AI

While earlier technological integrations primarily early endeavors include The Museum of Pure Form and
centered around photogrammetry, digital twins, and 3D The Virtual Museum of Sculpture , tailored to a general
[13]
modeling, the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) audience and designed for brief interactions, optimizing
tools heralds a new era, boasting transformative capabilities visitor movement within exhibition spaces . These in situ
[14]
in swiftly reconstructing damaged or lost artworks . digital experiences gradually evolved into comprehensive
[8]
Advancements such as hand-held scanning technologies virtual museum environments, as seen in ventures like The
coupled with cutting-edge rendering engines have facilitated Exploratorium and the EU-sponsored CREATE project .
[15]
the production of high-quality digital assets, ensuring Parallel to these advances, augmented reality tools were
both precision and speed [9,10] . Given this backdrop, the pivotal in the comprehensive digital representation of
present research seeks to elucidate the potential and pitfalls museum collections, with a notable instance being the
of deploying generative AI tools in the realm of digital endeavors of the Center for the Art of East Asia at the
restoration, complementing traditional methods while also University of Chicago . Yet, a significant democratizing
[16]
resolving pressing questions about the ethical and aesthetic shift in virtual learning environments (VLE) can be
dimensions of these collaborative techniques. attributed to the 2011 inception of Google’s Arts and Culture
In advancing this academic dialogue, focus shifts to platform, amplified by the 2014 introduction of Google
the conceptualization of a novel workflow centered on Cardboard, an affordable head-mounted display designed
for educational immersion . Subsequent years witnessed
[17]
generative AI. Beyond the conventional paradigms of the birth of diverse VLEs, such as those associated with the
capturing or replicating cultural heritage artifacts, this Rijksmuseum and the National Archeological Museum of
research aims to unearth the possibilities of reconstructing Marche [18,19] .
works — whether they are damaged or entirely lost. Guided
by a methodical analytical structure, the research will In contemporary times, the proliferation of digital twins
critically assess the technological constraints and challenges for preserving cultural heritage has seen notable expansion,
of prevailing digital restoration techniques, paving the way accentuated by global events like the pandemic. Bevilacqua
[20]
for the refined implementation of AI-driven solutions. The et al. have illuminated applications ranging from the
amalgamation of AI with traditional techniques presents digital replication of Italy’s inaugural Parliament to the
an opportunity not only to streamline the reconstruction illustrious Charterhouse of Pisa in Calci. Conversely, Tan
[21]
process but also to re-evaluate the ethical, esthetic, and et al. shed light on Asian methodologies, accentuating
interpretative facets intrinsic to the preservation of cultural the digital archiving of Xiegong, a salient architectural
heritage. Therefore, the subsequent discourse stands as motif prevalent in historic Chinese edifices. Such eclectic
an incisive exploration of this nascent domain, offering endeavors underscore the pressing need for synergistic
both practical revelations and academic reflections to collaboration between technical experts and academicians,
those immersed in the stewardship of the world’s cultural aiming to devise authentic digital analogs that champion
treasures. the cause of cultural heritage conservation.
2. Literature review Yet, despite the richness of existing literature detailing
various case studies and techniques centered on digital
The academic investigation of digital preservation within twins within the realm of cultural heritage preservation,
cultural heritage, viewed through the prisms of digital art a discernible lacuna persists: a comprehensive exploration
history and digital humanities, is an evolving domain, a of the instrumental role that generative AI tools might
notion echoed by Hutson and Olsen. Tracing back to play in hastening the restoration of tarnished or vanished
[11]
2001, the initial efforts to digitize cultural artifacts were cultural artifacts. Indeed, while endeavors have been
largely anchored within academic and institutional realms. made harnessing AI in the domain of cultural heritage
Pioneering projects, such as those by the Foundation of the conservation, the ascendancy of refined machine learning
Hellenic World, harnessed CAVE technology to produce algorithms, coupled with burgeoning computational
digital replicas of historical sites, with Miletus — a former prowess, has positioned AI’s role in conservation and
Athenian colony and later under Roman dominion — restoration as a paragon of pioneering scholarship. Multiple
standing out as a prime illustration . The potential of academic pursuits traverse this confluence of technological
[1]
this technological advance for museums and heritage innovation and heritage preservation, bequeathing the
institutions quickly gained traction, encapsulated by academic world with an array of methodological and
Roussou’s concept of “edutainment.” [12] conceptual frameworks.
As the new millennium progressed, museums started Kim and Lee’s research, centered around the
[22]
integrating extended reality experiences. Noteworthy utilization of artificial neural networks, illuminates the

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1793