Türkiye uses AI-enhanced DNA coding to identify artifacts

Türkiye's General Directorate of Cultural Assets and Museums has identified 254,698 artifacts using an AI-supported DNA application, as part of a comprehensive project to combat smuggling and safeguard Türkiye's cultural heritage.

Some 254,698 artifacts in museums and storage have been identified using an artificial intelligence-supported "DNA application" by the General Directorate of Cultural Assets and Museums.

General director of Cultural Assets and Museums Birol Inceciköz said the "Identification Project for the Security of Historical Artifacts" initiated to protect and preserve artifacts for future generations.

"We have completed the identification of 150,882 artifacts in our museum storage. By 2028, we aim to register all artifacts in our storage and establish their ownership through digital identification. Following our minister’s instructions, we have initiated another significant project called 'Heritage for the Future.' Our excavation directors designed this system to intensify excavation activities," Birol Inceciköz said.

According to Inceciköz, there are 2.86 million artifacts, excluding coins, in all museums in Türkiye. Following instructions from Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, efforts were started to combat the smuggling of cultural assets and to identify and inventory the artifacts, Anadolu reported.