Presentation Note

The School of Information Sciences organizes the second edition of the International Conference on Cultural Engineering and Heritage Development. This edition focuses on the development and circulation of cultural and heritage property and products amidst digital technologies and artificial intelligence. It explores the frameworks and challenges emerging from these dynamics and the impact of digital and AI tools in culture, art, and heritage.

By examining this theme, the conference delves into transformations in culture and heritage, and in cultural and creative industries. The methodological approach expected is both analytical and empirical. Culture, art, and heritage—cornerstones of societies—are rethought today through paradigms of community, sustainability, inclusion, and resilience.

Technological solutions foster accessibility and democratization of cultural assets. Yet, challenges persist in operationalizing an inclusive, sustainable vision through technology. Digitization serves both research and public engagement through documentation, management, communication, and preservation, especially in crisis zones. Libraries, museums, and archives digitize collections for virtual integration and broadened public access.

AI is increasingly used in heritage fields, generating artworks and raising legal and ethical questions, as seen in events like the Deepfakes and You exhibition at the UN in 2024, and Apophénies at the Centre Pompidou. Research like the EU-UNESCO I-Treasures project shows AI's role in preserving intangible heritage. The circulation of cultural goods also faces new governance challenges in the postmodern era, involving national and supranational dynamics.

From traditional knowledge to digital collections and international exhibitions, the debate around the movement of cultural goods continues. Historical voices like Aimé Césaire and Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow called for fairer cultural exchanges and the restitution of stolen heritage. Today, institutions regulate circulation through frameworks and tools, with digital offers helping move works globally. This conference investigates these frameworks and their implications at multiple levels.

Scientific Axes