Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Language, Literature, and Cultural Heritage
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the study, preservation, interpretation, and dissemination of language, literature, and cultural heritage. Advances in natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, knowledge representation, and cloud computing have created new opportunities to analyze historical texts, translate multilingual content, recognize named entities, interpret literary patterns, and digitally preserve tangible and intangible heritage. These technologies can improve access to manuscripts, archival collections, historical monuments, oral traditions, and culturally significant artifacts while supporting interdisciplinary research across the humanities and computer science. Research on natural language understanding, machine translation, and question-answering systems provides a foundation for intelligent language applications (Feng, 2004; Feng, 2008; Guo et al., 2019). Similarly, deep-learning-based heritage classification, image captioning, multimodal documentation, and digital preservation demonstrate how computational methods can support cultural documentation and public engagement (Belhi et al., 2017; Belhi et al., 2019; Alam et al., 2022). However, the integration of AI into the humanities also introduces challenges involving linguistic diversity, cultural bias, historical accuracy, data ownership, interpretive transparency, and the preservation of contextual meaning. This paper reviews the principal AI techniques used in language and cultural heritage research, examines their applications and limitations, and proposes an integrated framework for responsible digital humanities. It argues that AI should complement rather than replace human interpretation, cultural expertise, and ethical judgment. Sustainable progress requires reliable digital collections, representative multilingual datasets, transparent models, community participation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. By combining computational efficiency with humanistic inquiry, AI can contribute to a more accessible, inclusive, and critically informed understanding of linguistic and cultural knowledge.
Author: Conti, Dr. Sofia Conti
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225766754
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: