Argus and PARCS Solutions will develop and test an app to help customs officers and investigators know what they are looking at
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Argus Cultural Property Consultants, a leader in cultural heritage protection, has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of State to develop and test a prototype artificial intelligence-powered app that helps U.S. law enforcement, such as customs officers and investigators, assess unfamiliar cultural objects.
The app is meant to help officers recognize what they are looking at, spot when an object warrants a closer look and know when to bring in an expert. Argus will lead the project. Its technical partner is PARCS Solutions, a company that has developed AI tools for cultural heritage protection since 2018.
“Having worked these cases, I know that simply recognizing what you’re looking at can be the first hurdle,” said Tim Carpenter, founder and managing director of Argus and former head of the FBI Art Crime Team. “Officers at ports and borders often see objects they have never encountered, and they have to decide what to do next. We want this tool to help them ask better questions, pursue useful leads and know when to call an expert. Ultimately, we hope it strengthens efforts to disrupt cultural property trafficking.”
The tool will not determine from a photograph whether an object is stolen or trafficked. Its purpose is to support the judgment of trained officers and the specialists they rely on.
PARCS Solutions will lead technical development of the prototype. The company created Arte-Fact, a mobile and web application for cultural property identification, and has worked with many European law enforcement agencies, notably French Police and Customs. Its team combines expertise in archaeology, AI and software development.
“The fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural goods is a global cause in which cross-border cooperation is essential. It is in this spirit that PARCS is honored to partner with Argus, bringing its expertise in support of a technical solution enabling the US government to combat the destruction of our shared heritage” said Axel Kerep, archaeologist and project manager for Arte-Fact at PARCS Solutions.
The project is a nine-month proof of concept overseen by the Cultural Heritage Center in the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It will include development and testing to measure how useful and accurate the tool can be. The prototype will be tested in simulated field conditions with U.S. law enforcement, and its results will be compared with assessments from subject-matter experts. Its training data will include categories of cultural property from Ukraine and at least one other country covered by U.S. cultural property import restrictions.
Trafficking in stolen, looted and forged art and antiquities has been linked by U.S. officials to terrorist financing, transnational organized crime and money laundering. It also strips communities of their history and puts collectors and museums at risk of unknowingly acquiring looted objects.
The project ends with a final report and briefing to the Cultural Heritage Center and the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee, which represents 15 federal agencies and the Smithsonian Institution. The government will use the findings to decide whether a full-scale tool is feasible and worth building.
About Argus Cultural Property Consultants
Argus Cultural Property Consultants is a global risk management firm that specializes in protecting and preserving fine art, antiquities, antiques, high-end collectibles and heritage sites. Its services include security risk assessments, recoveries, provenance verification, legal support, emergency response, and training for law enforcement, museums and government agencies. Its leadership includes retired members of the FBI Art Crime Team and a trial attorney who is an expert in cultural property law. More information is available at arguscpc.com.
About PARCS Solutions
PARCS Solutions, based in Évry-Courcouronnes, France, develops technology to protect cultural heritage and fight the illicit trafficking of cultural goods. Its team combines expertise in archaeology, AI and software development. PARCS created Arte-Fact, a mobile and web application for identifying cultural property, and has taken part in European Union research projects on cultural goods trafficking, including PREVISION and ANCHISE. More information is available at parcs.solutions.
Media Contact
Jason Pack, Media Rep Global Strategies | jpack@mediarep.us | 571-420-1811
Banner image credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection; repatriation of Ukrainian cultural property, 2023