ICOM Adopts New Museum Code of Ethics Taking Aim at AI, Colonialism, and Climate Change
In late June, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) adopted a revised Museum Code of Ethics at its 41st Ordinary General Assembly in Paris, marking its first major update in more than 20 years. ICOM first adopted the code in 1986 and last revised it in 2004; the new version was developed from 2019 through this year and approved by more than 85% of participants. The updated code addresses digital technologies (including cautions about AI’s ethical implications, environmental impact, misinformation, intellectual property, and Indigenous data sovereignty), the climate crisis (calling on members to achieve carbon neutrality), and colonial legacies (stating museums must address their roles in colonising processes). It also urges museums to resist financial or political influence and explicitly says museums should refrain from acquiring objects from occupied territories, reflecting recent geopolitical controversies. The code incorporates ICOM’s 2022 museum definition describing museums as not-for-profit, permanent institutions serving society by researching, collecting, conserving, interpreting, and exhibiting tangible and intangible heritage.
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This story was covered in Repatriation Shockwaves and Museum Ethics on Trial