Archival utopia

Abstract

This essay reflects on how the role and status of archives may change in the future as a result of developments in digitization, data mining, and artificial intelligence, from the perspective of the editor-in-chief of Levéltári Közlemények. His paper also outlines the expected shifts in emphasis in the preservation, processing, and provision of documents, as well as the transformation of archival tasks in response to technological change. After addressing what, how much, and why archives pre- serve from the vast number of documents accumulated over the centuries, the essay demonstrates – through examples – that technological innovation and the growing demand for information are already placing increasing pressure on archives to make their holdings accessible to the wider public. In this process, the National Archives of Hungary is playing a pioneering role, not only in Hungary but also in an international context, in the development, refinement, and applica- tion of new practices. Looking ahead, accelerated access to documents, more efficient research based on structured data processing, and easier retrieval to relevant information may open up far-reaching prospects for archives to function not merely as sources of data, but as active participants in knowledge sharing and knowledge production. The digitization of the Hungarian state civil registry, for example, could make it possible to reconstruct a “family tree” of contemporary Hungarian society, with implications for family and local history, public health, and related fields. Concluding this positive utopia, the author argues that fears surrounding the rapid development of artificial intelligence are unfounded in the archival sphere, as archives positioning themselves at the forefront of change can remain both the historical memory of the state and a dynamically evolving data resource contribut- ing to scientific and social innovation.