Tracing the Past, Predicting the Future: A Systematic Review of AI in Archival Science

Publication Date

10-16-2025

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology

Volume

62

Issue

1

DOI

10.1002/pra2.1286

First Page

659

Last Page

671

Abstract

The rapid expansion of content presents significant challenges in records management, notably in retention and disposition, appraisal, and organization. Our study highlights how integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into archival science can help address these issues. We begin with a thorough analysis of 45 papers published between 2011 and 2023 that met our predetermined criteria. All the articles were written in English; 40% of these were reviews, and the remaining 60% were original research articles. We investigated the key AI techniques and their applications in archives and records management functions. Our findings highlight key AI-driven strategies that promise to streamline recordkeeping processes and improve data retrieval in the immediate future. This review outlines the current state of AI in archival science and records management and lays the groundwork for integrating new techniques to transform archival practices. Our research emphasizes the necessity for enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration between AI experts and archival professionals.

Keywords

Archives and Records Management, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Explainable Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Retention, Disposition, and Appraisal

Department

Computer Science; Information

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