Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Electronic Archives: A Systematic Review

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Assistant Prof., Department of Electronic Commerce, Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc). Tehran, Iran
2 MSc., Department of Business Management, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/aimj.2025.527993.1638
Abstract
Today, the use of artificial intelligence in electronic archives has become a necessity, not just an optional option. With the increasing growth of data, the complexity of digital documents, and the need for fast and accurate access to information, artificial intelligence can play a key role in the optimization, maintenance, and exploitation of electronic archives. Artificial intelligence is increasingly integrated into electronic archives management and offers numerous benefits. This research was conducted to identify and introduce the most key applications of artificial intelligence in electronic archives. To achieve the research objective, the process outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for conducting a systematic review was used. initially, 160 works related to the topic of artificial intelligence and electronic archives were identified in databases. After removing duplicate works, 149 unique works remained. Then, the titles and abstracts of the articles were reviewed, and those that did not meet the research objective, namely "Investigating the application of artificial intelligence in electronic archives", were eliminated. At this stage, 120 works were selected from the databases. After this stage, the full text of the selected records was studied. To reduce bias, two researchers independently assessed the quality of the articles and low-quality articles were excluded. Finally, 30 works were selected as a sample for review. These works were then studied and the most key applications of artificial intelligence in electronic archives were extracted from their full text. A review of the collected articles showed that artificial intelligence tools and technologies can be used and utilized in six areas in electronic archives, including information discovery and monitoring, resource description and metadata generation, reference and research services, digital records storage and management, data security and protection, and improving efficiency and user experience. In the field of information exploration and monitoring, this technology can help with information search and retrieval, multilingual search, and improve recommendation systems. However, access to digital archival materials is still very complex for many reasons, such as privacy, data protection, sensitivity, national security, and copyright.

Keywords


Arias Hernandez, R., Fewster, K. & Penniman, S. (2024). Artificial intelligence and machine learning competencies for the archival professions. Proceedings of the association for information science and technology, 61(1), 36-43.
Avanzo, M., Stancanello, J., Pirrone, G., Drigo, A. & Retico, A. (2024). The evolution of artificial intelligence in medical imaging: from computer science to machine and deep learning. Cancers, 16(21), 3702.
Colavizza, G., Blanke, T., Jeurgens, C. & Noordegraaf, J. (2021). Archives and AI: An overview of current debates and future perspectives. ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage (JOCCH), 15(1), 1-15.
Cushing, A. L. & Osti, G. (2023). “So how do we balance all of these needs?”: how the concept of AI technology impacts digital archival expertise. Journal of Documentation, 79(7), 12-29.
Gong, S., Fu, S. & Chen, Z. (2013, April). Study on the Application of the Electronic Archives Management Technology Based on Virtualization Technology. In Proceedings of the 2012 International Conference on Cybernetics and Informatics (pp. 1159-1166). New York, NY: Springer New York.
He, Y. (2024, July). Artificial Intelligence Technology in the Information Management of Electronic Archives in the Era of Fuzzy Neural Network. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Educational Knowledge and Informatization (pp. 155-160).
Jaillant, L. (2022). How can we make born-digital and digitised archives more accessible? Identifying obstacles and solutions. Archival Science, 22(3), 417-436.
Jaillant, L. (2022). More data, less process: a user-centered approach to email and born-digital archives. The American Archivist, 85(2), 533-555.
Jaillant, L. (2024). Introduction to the Special Issue: Using visual AI applied to digital archives.
Jaillant, L. & Aske, K. (2024). Are users of digital archives ready for the AI era? Obstacles to the application of computational research methods and new opportunities. ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, 16(4), 1-16.
Jaillant, L. & Caputo, A. (2022). Unlocking digital archives: cross-disciplinary perspectives on AI and born-digital data. AI & society, 37(3), 823-835.
Jaillant, L. & Rees, A. (2023). Applying AI to digital archives: trust, collaboration and shared professional ethics. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 38(2), 571-585.
Kaluvilla, B. B. (2024). Cultural preservation through technology in UAE libraries. Library Hi Tech News, 41(8), 6-9.
Kusumawati, L. & Salim, T. (2022). Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Management Implementation in Electronic Archives Preservation: Literature Review. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 7(5), 340-345.
Lim, H (2020). A Study on Layers of Deep Neural Networks. .3rd International Conference on Intelligent Autonomous Systems, ICoIAS
Lvping, S. (2021). Blockchain technology for management of intangible cultural heritage. Scientific programming, 2021(1), 2613656.
Mannheimer, S., Bond, N., Young, S. W., Kettler, H. S., Marcus, A., Slipher, S. K., ... & Sheehey, B. (2024). Responsible AI practice in libraries and archives: A review of the literature. Information technology and libraries, 43(3).
Maranchak, N. (2023). The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Digital Marketing of the Library Industry in Ukraine: Foreign Experience and Prospects. Digital Platform: Information Technologies in Sociocultural Sphere, 6(1), 172-184.
Modiba, M. & Shekgola, M. (2024). Artificial intelligence embedded cloud computing technology for the management of digital archives in the Fifth Industrial Revolution in South Africa. African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science, 34(2), 229-239.
Rodrigues, J. A., Krois, J. & Schwendicke, F. (2021). Demystifying artificial intelligence and deep learning in dentistry. Brazilian oral research, 35, e094.
Schellnack-Kelly, I. & Modiba, M. (2025). Developing smart archives in society 5.0: Leveraging artificial intelligence for managing audiovisual archives in Africa. Information Development, 41(3), 626-641.
Sergey, L., Lobachev, E. & Karpycheva, V. (2022). Artificial Intelligence in Archiving: Statutory Regulation and Personnel Formation. Russian University of Transport RUT (MIIT), Moscow, Russian Federation.
Tawalbeh, A. K. (2024). The role of AI in improving digital archiving in university libraries. J. Syst. Manag. Sci, 14, 455-469.
Tzouganatou, A. (2022). Openness and privacy in born-digital archives: reflecting the role of AI development. AI & SOCIETY, 37(3), 991-999.
Wang, Y., Wu, C., Li, W. & Wang, Z. (2024). A study of applications in archive management empowered by artificial intelligence. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences, 9(1), 20241405.

  • Receive Date 03 June 2025
  • Revise Date 20 October 2025
  • Accept Date 01 September 2025