Washington — As the United States marks its 250th anniversary of independence, the Smithsonian Institution is harnessing artificial intelligence to deepen understanding of its extensive collection related to the Revolutionary era. The initiative, known as Revolution Crossroads, aims to connect artifacts with personal stories that shed light on the communities and individuals who shaped the nation’s early history.

Since launching the project in the spring, Smithsonian researchers have applied AI models to uncover links across vast catalogs, a task that previously required lengthy manual searches. For example, the team identified a silversmith who advertised a creamer in newspapers around 1774, closely matching an item held at the National Museum of American History. This illustrates the effort to not only document well-known figures like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington but also to revive the narratives of lesser-known community members.

The project has digitized or redigitized approximately 10,000 objects associated with people from 1770 to 1810, making the collection more accessible for AI-driven exploration. Members of the public and scholars can search this growing digital archive online, with the goal of enriching the historical record by unearthing new information about individuals who have largely been forgotten.

Becky Kobberod, the Smithsonian’s chief digital and innovation officer, emphasized the institution’s ambition to augment public knowledge of America’s founding communities. “Maybe they’re not Thomas Jefferson or George Washington, but they did live in a community and build that community, and that name is now known,” she said.

The project also involves collaboration with other major repositories, such as the Library of Congress, to provide a more integrated research experience. Natalie Buda Smith, director of digital strategy at the Library of Congress, noted that the effort helps people navigate different collections and realize that stories can span institutions. The example of the creamer artifact underscores this richness, she said, “because they found it in the Smithsonian doesn’t mean it’s the end of the story.”

The Smithsonian’s adoption of AI occurs amid broader discussions about the technology’s risks and regulatory challenges. Industry leaders recently met in Washington with President Donald Trump, signing a voluntary agreement to review AI's impact, while lawmakers from both parties continue to debate appropriate oversight measures.

Kobberod acknowledged a cautious approach toward the technology, highlighting that the Smithsonian does not employ the controversial frontier AI models currently under scrutiny. She stressed the importance of human expertise in the process, noting that professional historians review AI findings to ensure accuracy and context. “What they might say is, ‘actually that is a known nickname for so-and-so’ or ‘that is a generic term that’s used for X, Y, Z,’” she explained. “That is the nuance that a historian or someone who’s spent their whole career studying that time period is going to know that a machine is not.”