OXFORD, UK AND BOSTON, MA – 07/10/2025 – (SeaPRwire) – In an age when archives are expanding faster than ever before—and digital transformation is reshaping every corner of information management—Preservica is setting a new benchmark for how artificial intelligence (AI) can responsibly empower archivists, records managers, and cultural institutions. The company has announced the AI in Archiving & Digital Preservation Practitioner Workshop Series, a hands-on educational initiative designed to bring the archival community together around the safe, transparent, and human-centric adoption of AI tools in preservation and discovery.
This workshop series is not merely an educational program—it is a global call to action for professionals tasked with managing the ever-growing digital memory of humanity. As organizations grapple with unprecedented data volumes, compliance obligations, and long-term accessibility challenges, Preservica’s initiative arrives at a pivotal moment. Its goal: to equip information professionals with both the technical understanding and ethical framework to apply AI responsibly while maintaining control, accountability, and trust.
Empowering Archivists to Shape AI—Not Be Shaped by It
Each workshop within the series will provide participants with real-world insights into how AI can be safely integrated into everyday archival workflows. By combining demonstrations, collaborative exercises, and open discussion, the program aims to demystify the technology and help professionals explore its true potential.
Preservica’s Product team, alongside guest experts from leading archives, libraries, and records management organizations, will guide participants through the responsible use of AI across a variety of domains—ranging from privacy protection to discovery enhancement.
Among the practical topics covered are:
- PII Detection: Meeting legal mandates by automatically identifying files containing personally identifiable information (PII).
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Accelerating text discovery in digitized documents.
- Image Analysis: Categorizing and describing large visual archives at scale.
- AV Transcription & Captioning: Enabling accessibility and richer metadata for audio-visual assets.
- Metadata Cleanup and Quality Control: Improving consistency and reliability in data curation.
- AI-Driven Capture and Discovery: Using tools such as Microsoft Copilot to automate transfers and enhance findability.
The first workshop—focused on PII detection for legal compliance—will be held on October 23, 2025, followed by sessions every two weeks that build upon each other to provide a holistic understanding of AI-assisted preservation.
A Collaborative Effort Toward Ethical AI Practices
“With the sheer volume of digital content in backlogs and being created daily, having a deeper comprehension of the safe use of AI to assist in archival tasks is becoming essential,” said Dan Heather, Digital Archives Manager at the UK National Theatre. “It’s encouraging to see Preservica leading this conversation, creating an open forum where professionals can test emerging tools, share feedback, and establish standards that balance innovation with responsibility.”
Preservica emphasizes that these workshops are not just about technical training—they are about shaping the ethical landscape of archival AI. “Our goal for the Series is to bring together like-minded professionals who want to build knowledge and collaborate to ensure AI is applied safely, cost-effectively and with human oversight,” explained Stuart Reed, Chief Product Officer at Preservica. “By enhancing the value of archives and streamlining core tasks, AI assistance can help improve discoverability, accessibility and productivity.”
Building a Future Where Human Judgment and AI Coexist
Preservica’s leadership in this domain builds upon its reputation as a pioneer in Active Digital Preservation™, an approach that ensures long-term digital information remains accessible and usable across generations. Its software automatically migrates files to future-compatible formats, preserving integrity while enabling easy retrieval and reuse for legal, compliance, and research needs.
Through the company’s collaboration with Microsoft, Preserve365® has integrated preservation directly into Microsoft 365 and SharePoint environments—making it easier for organizations to manage permanent digital records without disrupting existing workflows. This integration also provides a foundation for trusted AI adoption, enabling institutions to safely use Microsoft’s Purview, Power Automate, and Copilot for content governance, automation, and intelligent discovery.
By combining deep preservation expertise with emerging AI capabilities, Preservica is helping redefine what responsible innovation looks like in the archival field—one that prioritizes transparency, inclusivity, and human agency.
Upcoming Workshop Schedule
- Workshop #1: Comply with legal mandates by identifying files containing PII
October 23rd – 11am ET / 4pm BST - Workshop #2: Achieve faster discovery with OCR
November 6th – 11am ET / 4pm GMT - Workshop #3: Categorize & describe image collections at scale
November 20th – 11am ET / 4pm GMT - Workshop #4: AV transcription & Metadata Quality Control
December 4th – 11am ET / 4pm GMT
Interested participants can register for the series through Preservica’s website. Spaces are limited due to high early interest.
About Preservica
Preservica is transforming how organizations worldwide protect, manage, and reuse long-term digital information. Its AI-powered Active Digital Preservation™ platform ensures that critical records remain readable, authentic, and accessible for decades, supporting compliance, legal, and AI-readiness goals. Developed with Microsoft, Preserve365® seamlessly embeds archiving and preservation into Microsoft 365 workflows, helping enterprises simplify compliance, reduce cost and risk, and lay a trusted foundation for future AI innovation.