AI for 3D digital twins: bring your work to the second European stakeholder forum

AI for 3D Digital Twins in Cultural Heritage

How can artificial intelligence change the way we capture, understand and share our cultural heritage in 3D? On 9 December 2026, the European Commission (DG CONNECT) and the 3D-4CH Online Competence Centre bring researchers, heritage professionals and technology developers together online to tackle that question. Registration is open, and there are only days left to propose a talk.

AI is moving fast in 3D heritage. Gaussian Splatting, generative models that build a 3D object from a handful of photos, automatic damage mapping, conversational guides: tools that looked like lab experiments not long ago are now reaching museums, archaeological sites and conservation studios. The question is no longer whether AI will shape digital heritage, but how to make it accurate, transparent and truly useful to the people who care for that heritage.

This second Stakeholder Forum, held under the European ApplyAI Strategy, builds on a first edition in March 2026. The three-hour programme runs in three sessions: AI to support 3D digitisation, from advanced capture to generative models; from geometry to meaning, where AI enriches 3D models with metadata, condition maps and links to knowledge graphs; and AI for visualisation, interpretation and reuse in education, tourism and the creative industries. One principle runs through all three: AI-generated interpretation must stay distinguishable from documented evidence. An open discussion then asks what it really takes to deploy these methods reliably across Europe.

The organisers want new voices. Nine 10-minute presentations will be selected, about three per theme, with priority for projects and speakers who did not present in March. EU, national, regional and self-funded initiatives are all welcome, and a one-page submission with a short abstract is enough. The deadline is Friday 13 November.

As a 3D-4CH partner, CARARE warmly encourages its members to take part. Many of you are already testing AI on your 3D collections: this is the moment to show what works, what does not, and what the sector needs next.