Building GenAI Projects for Research
Learn how to create custom research projects using commercially available AI tools to accelerate archival research and curatorial work. This hands-on workshop will show you how to build focused AI projects using vetted sources—without coding or complex infrastructure. We’ll cover three practical applications: rapid story prototyping for exhibits, synthesizing research across multiple sources, and managing reference inquiries. You’ll learn which tools work best for different tasks (Claude for scholarly citations, ChatGPT for exploring research directions, NotebookLM for accessibility), how to vet and prepare source materials, and how to spot hallucinations and errors. Participants will build their own small research projects during the session and leave with a framework for applying these techniques to their own collections. We’ll discuss the ethical considerations of using AI in archives, including transparency about AI-assisted research and the critical importance of human review. This workshop emphasizes practical skills over theory. Bring your research questions, and we’ll work together to see how AI can help answer them—while keeping humans firmly in the loop.
Attendee Requirements: Participants should bring a laptop capable of running multiple browser tabs. You'll need to create a free account with at least one AI platform (Claude.ai, ChatGPT, or Google NotebookLM) before the workshop. Bring 5-10 PDF documents (under 100 pages total) related to a research topic you're interested in. This can include book chapters, journal articles, web pages. These will be the sources for your practice model. No coding experience required.