Anthropologists and Archeologists

Archaeologists today use AI tools in some parts of their work, especially for finding and mapping sites. For example, researchers have fine-tuned machine-learning models on satellite or drone images to spot buried ruins or graves. One study reports an AI method that detects ancient sites from satellite maps with about 80% accuracy ^[1].

Other projects use drones plus image-segmentation software (Mask R-CNN) to pick out ruin structures in the field ^[2]. These “smart” imaging tools help automate mapping artifacts and landscape features. Digital scanners and GIS apps are now common on digs, which speeds up recording locations.

However, tasks that need human judgment are still done by people. We did not find any AI system that can choose important cultural collaborators – that relies on trust and local knowledge. Writing reports and explaining history still needs a person’s touch.

Machines can summarize data, but experts point out that reading and interpreting complex texts is hard for AI ^[3]. In short, tools like drones, 3D scanners, and image-analysis software can augment archaeologists (making mapping and detection faster ^{[2] [2]}), but scholars still do the nuanced interpretation, writing, and community engagement by hand.

Growing interest in archaeology’s “digital toolbox” means AI could be adopted more over time, but likely slowly. Many AI and drone technologies already exist, so there is commercially available software and hardware for surveying sites ^{[2] [2]}. For example, open-source machine-learning tools can be trained on freely shared aerial images ^[2].

The benefits are clear: AI can search large areas quickly (much faster than human survey teams) ^[2], potentially saving money on field labor in the long run. But there are barriers too. High-quality drones, scanners, and computing power can be expensive, so only some projects (often well-funded research sites) use them.

Archaeologists also emphasize the need for ethical, careful use of AI with cultural heritage. Local communities and governments want say in how new tech is used on sensitive sites. Finally, this is a specialized field: there is no huge labor shortage pushing for robots, and anthropologists value the human skills of empathy and understanding.

As one review notes, experts are still crucial to guide AI (setting up training data and checking the results) ^[1]. In summary, while AI tools exist to help archaeologists and anthropologists (especially for mapping and data analysis), adopting them widely will be gradual. Human skills – like cultural insight, storytelling, and critical thinking – remain essential.