French team develops AI to predict climate damage to heritage sites

A team of French conservationists is creating an AI tool to predict how climate change will affect cultural heritage. This initiative, led by Ann Bourgès from the Ministry of Culture’s research center, started following talks with the European Commission four years ago. In 2022, Bourgès and two researchers launched doctoral projects with Adèle Cormier and David Roqui, who are nearing the end of their PhD studies. Their AI focuses on three sites: the 13th-century spire of Strasbourg Cathedral, the Bibracte Gallic settlement, and a future coastal location. Cormier has been collecting climate and deterioration data, while Roqui trains the AI using various multimedia inputs. They face challenges like integrating global climate data with localized effects and using inconsistent data from different measuring devices. Their open-source approach will be available on the Ministry of Culture’s Espadon website. Bourgès, who is also the secretary general of ICOMOS France, believes this tool will enable users to see how these sites change over time, aiding both conservation efforts and education. Although there's a national climate monitoring plan, this AI provides more detailed insights.