AI4LAM Welcomes Dr. Ines Vodopivec to Lead Strategic Development

January 2, 2025 – AI4LAM is pleased to announce that Associate Professor Dr. Ines Vodopivec has joined the community to help guide its strategic development. Her appointment as Secretary General comes as AI4LAM prepares to strengthen its organizational framework and expand its role as a collaborative platform for advancing AI in the cultural heritage sector. Ines reports to Aslak Sira Myhre and Michael A. Keller in this role, who together launched ai4lam in 2018 through a cooperative MOU.

Since its inception in 2018, AI4LAM has brought together heritage institutions and AI developers worldwide to explore the potential of artificial intelligence in improving the access, management, and reuse of cultural heritage. Since 2018, the AI4LAM community has grown to include over 1,300 members, hosted five Fantastic Futures conferences, and established itself as a hub for knowledge sharing and innovation. The collections of galleries, libraries, archives, and museums are crucial to the development of AI, and AI has the potential to enhance human knowledge when applied to such collections. AI4LAM aims to promote and share the development of AI based on the needs and principles of cultural heritage institutions.

Dr. Vodopivec will lead the development of AI4LAM's membership and growth plan, working closely with the Secretariat, Council, Working Groups, and the broader community. Her efforts will focus on creating a sustainable organizational structure, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and ensuring that AI4LAM continues to serve as a knowledge hub for the sector.

She brings significant experience in cultural heritage and digital humanities, having previously served as Deputy Director of the National and University Library of Slovenia and as a member of the UNESCO Memory of the World National Committee from 2020 to 2024. She is currently still Vice Dean at Nova University’s Faculty of Slovenian and International Studies, where she specializes in interdisciplinary research methodologies and digital humanities. Dr. Vodopivec is also active in international organizations, serving as a member of the Management Board of the Europeana Network Association and as a member of the IFLA Digital Humanities – Digital Scholarship Committee.

AI4LAM is confident that her leadership will help advance the community’s mission of advocating for the responsible use of AI in libraries, archives, and museums while continuing to build a strong foundation for collaboration.

For work-related correspondence, community members can reach Ines at the following contact details:

ines.vodopivec@nb.no

secretary-general@ai4lam.org

+386 41 251 400 (WhatsApp; Viber)

linkedin.com/in/ines-vodopivec