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Mohtasham A. (2026). Between Data and Meaning: A Critical Assessment of AI Applications in Cultural Heritage Conservation. JRA. 12(1), : 10 doi:10.66224/jra.2026.12.110
URL: http://jra-tabriziau.ir/article-1-505-en.html

The increasing application of artificial intelligence in cultural heritage conservation, while offering unprecedented opportunities in documentation, data analysis, monitoring, and preventive conservation, has simultaneously raised fundamental questions regarding the compatibility of this technol-ogy with the theoretical foundations and ethical principles of conservation. The present study, while acknowledging the positive capacities of artifi-cial intelligence in cultural heritage conservation, adopts a qualitative approach within an interpretive-critical framework, aiming to fill the existing research gap in the systematic identification of the theoretical, ethical, and practical risks and challenges of this application, and seeks to identify the actual and potential threats posed by the deployment of this emerging technology in cultural heritage conservation. The research data were collected and analyzed based on scholarly literature, international policy documents, and the theoretical foundations of cultural heritage conservation. The findings indicate that the status of artificial intelligence, beyond that of a mere technical tool, is gradually shifting from an auxiliary instrument to an interpretive agent, thereby participating in both the quantity and quality of conservation interventions. This shift in status gives rise to numerous challenges classified under six categories: epistemological, ethical, socio-cultural, economic, professional, and technical. The ethical application of artificial intelligence in cultural heritage conservation requires confronting these challenges, adopting a critical, forward-looking, and value-based approach, redefining the role of artificial intelligence as a "complementary tool" rather than a "substitute for human expertise," and developing ded-icated ethical and regulatory frameworks for this domain. By emphasizing awareness of the risks ahead, the present study argues that only through such measures can it be ensured that cultural heritage becomes a beneficiary of technological capacities rather than a victim of technological acceler-ation.