A 2026 survey by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) finds that visitors are cautious about artificial intelligence in museums, especially when it is used to create exhibition content.
Only 9 percent of respondents said they were comfortable with AI being used in museum exhibitions. Another 19 percent accepted AI for brainstorming but not for exhibition texts, while 29 percent had no reservations about museums using it to write official emails. Overall, 43 percent said they expected people to create all museum content.
Changing audiences and visiting habits
Although AI is not yet widely used to produce exhibitions, some upcoming projects are exploring it in other ways. The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, for example, plans to use AI in a virtual reality recreation of James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room.
The AAM survey also points to a shift in museum attendance: repeat visits have settled at a lower level than before the pandemic. Its findings suggest that attendance patterns are shaped not only by whether people visit, but by how frequently they return.
Museum audiences also appear more diverse than in the past. Among visitors surveyed, 47 percent had a college degree, 35 percent identified as white and not Hispanic or Latine, and 26 percent were aged 60 or older. The survey found that parents or guardians of minor children were the most likely group to have visited a museum in the past year.
As museums consider new technologies, these findings highlight the importance of balancing experimentation with visitors' expectations. Clear, thoughtful choices about AI could help institutions build trust while shaping more engaging experiences for future audiences.
