Cincinnati Museum Center's AI Learning Community Model
At the Museum AI Summit 2026, Cincinnati Museum Center's Whitney Owens, Jason Perkins, and Katie Webb presented their approach to building an AI learning community among staff. The museum, housed in a historic art deco train station, employs around 180 people across three museums. They began with a rapid-response AI policy naming acceptable tools: Microsoft Copilot, free-tier ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude. A working group of fourteen people from eleven departments was formed. The first session focused on feelings—excitements and fears—rather than technical facts. Subsequent sessions provided foundational AI knowledge and hands-on projects. Staff experimented with real challenges: HR created customized management training materials saving $10,000–20,000 annually; Collections tested transcription tools with mixed results; Outreach Education used AI to identify non-returning pre-COVID customers; and camp materials were consolidated using Google Gemini and NotebookLM. Key lessons included the importance of data safety, environmental concerns, and human oversight. The museum plans a second working group this summer. The framework recommends groups of five to fifteen, starting with emotions, using credible resources, and running real projects with honest reporting.
Key facts
- Cincinnati Museum Center is a natural history, science, history, and children's museum in a National Historic Landmark art deco train station.
- Staff of around 180 people.
- Whitney Owens (Chief Learning Officer), Jason Perkins (VP of Technology), and Katie Webb (Senior Director of Digital Assets Management) led the initiative.
- Rapid-response AI policy approved Microsoft Copilot, free-tier ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude.
- Paid-tier tools approved case-by-case.
- Working group of 14 people from 11 departments: Marketing, IT, Exhibit Development, Guest Services, Finance, HR, Education, Collections and Research.
- First meeting asked: 'What excites you about AI? What terrifies you?'
- Abijita Debata (HR) used AI to create management training materials, saving $10,000–20,000 per year.
- Makayla Dean (Collections) tested Transkribus and ChatGPT for transcribing handwritten field notes; ChatGPT produced better plain text but failed at structured cataloguing.
- Valerie Horobik used ChatGPT and Copilot to standardize 5,000 outreach education customer records and identify non-returning pre-COVID customers.
- Emily Bertolo tested Google Gemini and Google NotebookLM for consolidating camp materials; NotebookLM required less back-and-forth and provided source links.
- Participants reported cautious optimism, with emphasis on human oversight.
- Second working group planned for summer 2026.
- Framework: group of 5–15, start with feelings, use credible outside resource, provide AI overview, name safe tools, run real projects, report honestly.
Entities
Institutions
- Cincinnati Museum Center
- MuseumNext
- Museum AI Summit 2026
- Microsoft
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- Transkribus
- Museum Magazine
Locations
- Cincinnati
- United States