AI and Digital Technology Employed to Restore and Preserve Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
The Franciscan friars at the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi are utilizing advanced digital technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), lasers, and gigapixel cameras, to restore and preserve the 13th-century church. This initiative aims to address the extensive damage caused by a series of earthquakes, particularly the devastating 1997 quakes that left over 80,000 fragments of the church unaccounted for. Sergio Fusetti, who has been involved in the restoration since the 1970s, noted the impossibility of manually reassembling these fragments, stating that 'Only artificial intelligence can help us here.' A team of art historians and software engineers, led by Giovanni Borelli, CTO of Haltadefinizione, is creating a high-resolution 3D digital twin of the basilica. This digital replica will serve as an exact reconstruction roadmap in case of future disasters and will be used by AI to identify and reassemble missing pieces, as well as analyze and address issues like cracks, discoloration, and liftin...
