Descriptive Notes is pleased to share a new post in our AI & Description Series, a perspective piece questioning the appropriateness of artificial intelligence creating archival description, written by Camila Zorrilla-Tessler, "There is no AI in Archivist." You can find the blogpost here: https://saadescription.wordpress.com/2026/05/18/ai-description-a-critical-perspective/
In the post, Zorrilla-Tessler discusses the logistical, ethical, and labor issues inherent in using artificial intelligence as a tool to create archival description. She questions not just whether artificial intelligence can write coherent description, but if we should ask artificial intelligence to provide description for archival materials at all. Please see the full post, "There is no AI in Archivist."
This week’s Description Section Annual Business Meeting will also feature presentations based on multiple Descriptive Notes blogposts from our Audiovisual Description Series (some cross-posted to AI & Description), including “Motion Picture Form/Genre Terms: Using, Choosing, and Musing,” “Unraveling the Many-to-One Dilemma in Archival Arrangement,” and “Outside the Black Box: AI Shedding Light for AV Cataloging.”
Descriptive Notes continues to solicit posts for this current series on AI and archival description. As one can see with "There is no AI in Archivist" and our first post in the series, “Outside the Black Box: AI Shedding Light for AV Cataloging,” our hope is to provide space for conversation and multiple perspectives on the topic of AI and description. We welcome case studies, editorial or perspective pieces, situated around questions such as: Are you using AI as a tool for archival description? If so, what specific work are you attempting/accomplishing with it? What have you found to be the benefits and challenges? If you've chosen not to use AI in your descriptive practice, what factors or concerns have influenced that decision, and what challenges or pressures are you encountering as a result? Posts might describe descriptive workflows or projects into which you've integrated generative AI, the challenges of implementing AI, guidelines or guardrails for using generative AI in description, how you've advocated for (or against) the use of AI in your descriptive practice … and more!
Submit your pitches to saadescription@gmail.com. You can read more on our submission guidelines here: https://saadescription.wordpress.com/guidelines/.
We are also always interested in receiving submissions for any of our existing series, as well as any announcements or updates, conference dispatches, history and heritage month-related posts, as well as our longtime favorite finding aids pieces.
Best,
Betts Coup
Blog Editor, Descriptive Notes
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Betts Coup
Head of Archival Operations
Technical Services for Archives & Special Collections
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
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