AI-powered initiative HeritageWatch.AI to safeguard cultural heritage from crises

Could cutting-edge AI tools help protect cultural heritage sites across the world from the ravages of war, environmental crises, and natural disasters?

The launch of HeritageWatch.AI, a new initiative based in Paris, promises to revolutionise the way the sector plans and responds to these threats, using a mix of satellite imagery, 3D modelling, and artificial intelligence.

Launched at the French Ministry of Culture during the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, HeritageWatch.AI is the product of a collaboration between four major players in the field: the intergovernmental cultural heritage body Aliph (International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage), the 3D modelling specialists Iconem, tech giant Microsoft, and satellite imagery provider Planet Labs PBC.

The goal of the initiative is simple: to provide real-time, actionable data to heritage leaders so they can better protect vital sites in times of crisis.

By combining high-resolution satellite imagery from Planet Labs’ fleet of 200 satellites with Iconem’s expertise in creating 3D models of complex heritage sites, the project will help deliver in-depth, real-time information that can inform emergency responses. This data will then be processed using computing resources from Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab.

Aliph will use the data to expand its capacity to support cultural heritage organisations during emergencies. Since its inception in 2017, Aliph has distributed over $100 million (€96 million) in grants, funding more than 500 projects in 41 countries.

Notable examples of its action include the $500,000 (€480,000) it allocated to protect Beirut’s Sursock Museum in the wake of the devastating 2020 port explosion. Aliph also responded quickly to the situation in