ICOM Revises Museum Ethics Code to Address AI, Colonialism, and Climate Pressure
Museums are being asked to rethink not only what they collect, but how they operate. The International Council of Museums (Icom) has approved a revised code of ethics that updates its 2004 framework to confront digital technologies, artificial intelligence, the climate crisis, and the legacy of colonialism.
The new code was adopted on June 25 during Icom’s 41st general assembly in Paris, where 85.9% of members voted in favor. Icom’s original code dates to 1986 and was last revised in 2004. The latest version has been in development for more than five years, and the organization says membership carries an obligation to follow it.
The revision reflects a broader shift in how museums are expected to define their public role. It also aligns with the controversial museum definition Icom adopted in 2022, after years of internal debate. That definition drew criticism from some museum professionals, including for not explicitly naming deaccessioning and decolonization.
Sally Yekovich, an adjunct professor at Columbia university who led the code revision, said the new text “clarifies and strengthens” the 2004 version by addressing issues that have become more urgent. Icom, meanwhile, says museums are only beginning to understand how rapidly evolving digital technologies are changing ideas about history, culture, science, creativity, and art. It also warns that institutions must be attentive to the effects of those technologies on intellectual property rights and Indigenous rights.
The code is also explicit about colonial history. “We must address the role that museums have played during the colonising process,” Icom says. The organization says the revised text will be paired with practical guidance to help museum professionals apply the principles in day-to-day work.
One of the most significant structural changes is the reduction of the 2004 code’s eight principles to five: Society, Professionalism, Education, Collections, and Governance. The earlier principles included statements that museums preserve and interpret humanity’s natural and cultural inheritance, hold collections in trust for society, and operate in a legal manner.
That last point has been removed from the main code. Giuditta Giardini, chair of Icom’s Legal Affairs Committee (LEAC), called the adoption a “revolution for contemporary museology” and a shift from a museum centered on conservation to one that serves society. A LEAC spokesperson said the removal of Principle VII is significant, but added that law remains the foundation of the new ethics framework.
LEAC is now developing separate legal guidelines that will be binding for all ICOM members, effectively restoring the legal dimension in another form. The code also says museums should avoid conflicts of interest, disclose policies on gifts and other benefits, resist financial or political influence, and respond promptly and transparently to restitution or return requests, in line with applicable laws.
For museums, the new code signals a more expansive mandate: not only to preserve collections, but to justify their authority in public, legal, and ethical terms.
