The article examines the rise of artificial intelligence tools in the art world and asks whether the deep expertise traditionally held by human curators, historians, and critics can truly be replicated by machines. AI systems are increasingly used for tasks such as analysing artworks, attributing authorship, detecting forgeries, and generating insights about style and provenance. Proponents argue that these technologies can process vast datasets far beyond human capacity, uncovering patterns and connections that might otherwise remain unseen.
Despite these capabilities, many art professionals remain sceptical about whether AI can fully capture the nuance, context, and emotional resonance that human art experts bring to their work. Expertise in art often relies on subjective judgment, cultural understanding, and an experiential sense of history — factors that go beyond the pattern recognition and statistical inference typical of AI. As a result, critics worry that an overreliance on AI could flatten complexity or misinterpret meaning in ways that mislead rather than illuminate.
The article also discusses how AI tools are being integrated into art institutions. Some museums and galleries are using AI to enhance accessibility—for example, by generating detailed descriptions for visually impaired visitors, offering personalised tours, or translating interpretive materials. Other institutions leverage AI to support research and cataloguing, freeing human specialists to focus on interpretive storytelling and curatorial strategy rather than routine tasks.
Ultimately, the piece suggests that the future of art expertise in the age of AI is likely to be collaborative rather than substitutive. AI can amplify human insight and expand access to information, but the unique qualities of human judgment — empathy, cultural literacy, and aesthetic sensibility — remain indispensable. The article concludes that the most fruitful path forward will involve combining the strengths of both humans and machines to enrich understanding and appreciation of art.
