On 9 and 10 October, the 10th National Conference of the Association of Italian Cultural Institutions. At the heart of the discussion: the future of cultural institutions, digital transformation, and the relationship between heritage, memory and democracy
What role can cultural institutions play in Italian society today? How are the ways of preserving, managing and accessing documentary heritage changing? And what new opportunities does artificial intelligence offer for research, knowledge and the enhancement of heritage?
These are some of the questions at the centre of the 10th National Conference of AICI – Association of Italian Cultural Institutions, titled Italia è cultura. Thirty Years of History of the Institutes: Milestones and New Challenges, taking place in Turin on 9 and 10 October 2026 at the Polo del '900 and the Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano.
The event is an important opportunity for discussion, also in light of the thirty years since Law 534 of 1996, one of the main regulatory references for the recognition and support of cultural institutes. Two days devoted to the transformations that have affected the Italian cultural system and to the new challenges awaiting institutes, foundations, libraries and archives.
Particular attention will be given to digital transformation, with the session "Digital for cultural institutes: libraries, archives, data and artificial intelligence", scheduled for the morning of Saturday 10 October at the Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano, chaired by Andrea De Pasquale, Director General for Digitisation and Communication at the Ministry of Culture.
The panel will explore the transformations that digital technology is bringing to the processes of preservation, management and enhancement of cultural heritage, with particular attention to digital and hybrid heritage and to the new possibilities offered by artificial intelligence for access to sources, the organisation of knowledge, and the relationship between heritage, research and the public.
A specific focus will be on artificial intelligence applied to cultural heritage, with a reflection on its potential for organising and querying data and sources, and on new ways of connecting heritage, research and the public.
Among the speakers in the session is Federica D'Uonno, official at the Central Institute for the Digitisation of Cultural Heritage – Digital Library, who will contribute to the discussion on the prospects and opportunities offered by digital transformation in the cultural sector.
This will be followed by the round table "Cantieri digitali: progetti ed esperienze dagli istituti", chaired by Giuliano Romalli, Director of the Central Institute for the Digitisation of Cultural Heritage – Digital Library, which will focus on a number of concrete experiences developed by AICI member institutes, showcasing the variety of digital applications: from artificial intelligence for querying historical sources to digital libraries and collections, through to the creation of tools for the knowledge and enhancement of documentary heritage.
The programme will continue in the afternoon with the session "Quale storia e memoria a ottant'anni dalla Costituente?", devoted to the relationship between memory, history and democracy and to the role of cultural institutes in building and transmitting the nation's memory.
The Conference thus offers a space for discussion on the prospects of cultural institutes, which are today called upon to combine the protection and knowledge of sources with new languages, digital tools and forms of participation, strengthening ties with local communities and with younger generations.