Documenting AI use in 3D heritage digitisation and modelling

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into 3D heritage digitisation and modelling presents both significant opportunities and complex challenges. While AI enhances efficiency and interpretative potential, it also intensifies longstanding concerns regarding transparency in technological processes. Central to this discourse is the concept of paradata, which addresses the documentation of intellectual and procedural decisions in digital heritage work. This paper explores the implications of AI for paradata, drawing on emerging literature from both 3D heritage and archival science. It argues that documenting AI use requires a nuanced understanding of decision-making processes of using both 3D and AI technologies. The paper highlights the limitations of conventional validation strategies in heritage contexts, where definitive benchmarks are often absent. Instead, it advocates for a shift towards putting more emphasis on justifying the plausibility of AI-generated outputs. Cross-pollination between AI and 3D paradata research is proposed as a means to enhance transparency and epistemic accountability in heritage digitisation.