Humans of AI | Melissa Terras (Transkribus) - From Dust to Data
Humans of AI by information labs
🔍 In this episode of Humans of AI, Professor Melissa Terras, co-founder of Transkribus, shares how three decades of work in digital cultural heritage led to one of Europe’s most successful examples of ethical, community-owned AI.
Melissa talks about turning damaged ancient manuscripts into searchable digital archives, the journey from academic research to a cooperative business model, and why AI should serve communities — not corporations. She reflects on lessons from the project’s growth, the importance of human networks, and her vision for a future where AI is sustainable, transparent, and keeps humans in the loop.
📌 HoAI Highlights
⏲️[00:00] Intro
⏲️[00:21] The Spark
⏲️[08:25] The Impact
⏲️[13:54] The Challenge
⏲️[18:19] The Future
⏲️[24:11] The Takeaway
The Spark
🗣️“We’re building tools that let people turn images of the past into knowledge for the future.”
The Impact
🗣️ “To have learned about this poet at school and now help make her diaries accessible to everyone — that was a really nice full-circle moment for me.”
The Challenge
🗣️ “All of this is about information literacy — and AI companies don’t want people to be literate about AI. They want to disrupt, take the money, and run.”
The Future
🗣️“If we want a better AI world, we need to look at the business models — and encourage more people to build AI cooperatively.”
The Takeaway
🗣️ “AI is just a tool. What we choose to do with it is on us.”
📌 About Our Guests
Melissa Terras | Transkribus
🌐 linkedin.com/in/melissa-terras-mbe-freng-8658714
🌐 https://www.transkribus.org
Transkribus is a cooperative AI platform that uses handwriting recognition and machine learning to turn historical documents into searchable, machine-readable text. Co-owned by libraries, archives, museums, and individuals, it helps researchers and institutions digitize and analyze millions of handwritten records while ensuring data ethics and community-driven sustainability.
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #GenerativeAI