American museum visitors are deeply uneasy about artificial intelligence playing a part in making exhibitions, according to a 2026 survey by the American Alliance of Museums. Only 9 per cent of respondents said they accepted AI being used in museum shows, while 43 per cent expected people, not software, to develop all museum content, from gallery displays to the emails institutions send out.

Attitudes softened a little for lower-stakes uses. Around 19 per cent of those surveyed were comfortable with AI helping staff brainstorm ideas, provided it did not write exhibition texts, and 29 per cent had no objection to AI drafting emails from museum officials. The findings point to a public that draws a firm line between back-office assistance and the creative work visitors actually see.

AI is not yet widely used to build exhibitions, but a handful of forthcoming shows are set to incorporate it, according to a New York Times report cited in the coverage. The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, for example, will use AI in a virtual-reality recreation of James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room as part of its version of a Tate-organised retrospective of the artist.

The survey also looked at attendance, a worry for museums since the pandemic curtailed visiting in 2020. Rather than counting annual visitors, it tracked repeat visits and found they have settled into a lower pattern over the past six years, suggesting the lasting change is not whether people go to museums but how often they return.

The picture of who visits is shifting too. Only 47 per cent of visitors hold a college degree, 35 per cent are white, and 26 per cent are aged 60 or older, a change from the whiter, older and more educated audience museums once assumed they served. White respondents were the most likely to say they never visit museums, while Asian and Asian American respondents were the most likely to say they do. Respondents across age groups and political leanings also favoured museums remaining inclusive, even as the current administration pushes in the opposite direction.