Jane Alexander, Chief Digital Information Officer, Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, U.S.A.)

Jane Alexander is Chief Digital Information Officer at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where she leads digital innovation, enterprise systems, technology infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Since joining CMA in 2010, she has championed a collaborative, visitor-centered approach to innovation. She led Gallery One, the ArtLens experience, and ArtLens Reimagined, its third iteration, launched in July 2026. Informed by more than a decade of visitor research, the gallery combines original artworks, 21 interactive experiences, a redesigned app, artificial intelligence, and inclusive design. Alexander also led CMA’s Open Access initiative, website and Collection Online transformation, and immersive exhibitions including Revealing Krishna and Pintoricchio Magnified. An international speaker on museum innovation, AI, accessibility, and digital strategy, she has received awards and was recognized on Blooloop’s Museum Influencer Power 10 and Museum Influencer 50 lists. Her work uses emerging technologies responsibly to remove barriers and deepen connections while keeping art and human expertise at the center.

More Ways In: AI in Service of Art and Visitors

The Cleveland Museum of Art has been exploring artificial intelligence since 2012, long before generative AI became part of the everyday conversation. Yet technology has never been the goal. CMA begins with the art, the visitor, and the problem it is trying to solve: How can we remove intimidation, expand access, encourage closer looking, and help every visitor form a meaningful connection with art?

This talk traces CMA’s evolution from early facial-matching and computer-vision experiences to ArtLens Reimagined, a gallery featuring 21 interactive experiences that invite visitors to investigate, relate to, and create with the collection. Seven experiences thoughtfully integrate AI, including Talk to the Art, Art Morph, Strike a Pose, Community Mural, and Infinite Landscape. Beyond the gallery, AI powers visual discovery on Collection Online, artwork recognition in the ArtLens App, and visual descriptions for every object in the permanent collection, substantially increasing access for people who are blind or have low vision.

The presentation will also address the responsibility that accompanies innovation. CMA’s approach prioritizes human expertise, transparency, artists’ rights, privacy, carefully controlled data, and locally operated models. The goal is not to place technology between visitors and art, but to provide more people with a meaningful way in.