The day after an audacious robbery at France’s Louvre museum, Italy’s culture ministry announced it is developing AI-based security systems capable of recognising suspicious behaviour around priceless artefacts.
“The safety of cultural heritage is now a top priority”, the ministry said in a statement, without directly mentioning the Louvre sting.
The ministry’s Museums department “is developing two major experimental projects with a specific focus on archaeological heritage” and “funded with European resources, for a total value of over 70 million euros,” or $82 million, it said.
The programme was funded in 2024, and the initiatives announced Monday aim to improve prevention and monitoring tools through the use of artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics and cybersecurity, it said.
“This involves intelligent video analysis, capable of detecting anomalous behavior and suspicious movements, while fully complying with privacy regulations, and triggering timely predictive alerts.
“These AI-based systems, powered by specially trained algorithms, are capable of recognizing behavior patterns and risk signals with ever-increasing precision,” the ministry said.
On Sunday, four masked thieves stole priceless jewels from the Louvre after climbing through a window with a mechanical ladder.
Just minutes later they fled on scooters in a heist which has reignited the debate on the security of museums.
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© Agence France-Presse
