A vision of human–AI collaboration for enhanced biological collection curation and research

Natural history collections play a crucial role in our understanding of biodiversity, informing research, management, and policy in areas such as biosecurity, conservation, climate change, and food security. However, the growing volume of specimens and associated data presents significant challenges for curation and management. By leveraging human-AI collaborations, we aim to transform the way biological collections are curated and managed, realizing their full potential in addressing global challenges. In this article, we discuss our vision for improving biological collections curation and management using human-AI collaboration. We explore the rationale behind this approach, the challenges faced in data management, general curation problems, and the potential benefits that could be derived from incorporating AI-based assistants in collection teams. Finally, we examine future possibilities for collaborations between human and digital curators and collection-based research.