The Internet Archive opens a Swiss relay at a time when digital memory faces two weaknesses: the erasure of funds exposed to conflicts, disasters or censorship, and the rapid disappearance of artificial intelligence systems which already shape the production of knowledge.
The new entity acts independently within its national framework, while remaining aligned with the historic objective formulated by Brewster Kahle in 1996: universal access to all knowledge. Its site states that it collects and preserves digital information for learning and research, in response to format volatility, rapid content deletions, and declining open access.
A digital memory now distributed
The first project, dedicated to funds in danger, targets vulnerable collections. The foundation says it is working with UNESCO and other partners to provide a secure digital refuge for endangered materials. A UNESCO conference planned for Paris in November 2026 constitutes the first public step in this orientation.
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The second axis concerns generative artificial intelligence. Together with the School of Computer Science at the University of St. Gallen, led by Professor Damian Borth, the structure is supporting a project to preserve snapshots of AI models, their responses, knowledge and behaviors. The issue is their instability: a model trained, updated and then withdrawn rarely leaves a trace that can be consulted.
Saint-Gall also brings a heritage dimension. The foundation recalls that the abbey archives, which hosted the launch on May 5, embody more than a thousand years of conservation. Roman Griesfelder, executive director, sums up this choice in a translated formula: “ Saint Gall is a very suitable place to advance the preservation of our universal knowledge. Stability and innovation go hand in hand. »
A sensitive subject for publishing
For book professionals, this extension comes after several years of confrontation between Internet Archive and American publishers. ActuaLitté followed the litigation opened in 2020 by Hachette, HarperCollins, Wiley and Penguin Random House around controlled digital lending, then its conclusion unfavorable to the organization in the field of copyright and digital distribution.
The opening of a Swiss center does not relaunch this legal case: it shifts the center of gravity towards memory infrastructures. Alongside Internet Archive Canada and Internet Archive Europe, the Saint-Gallois foundation places the conservation of cultural data in a more distributed network, where legal stability, university partnerships and the protection of fragile funds become conditions for sustainable access.
Crédits photo : illustration, John Blyberg, CC BY 2.0
By Cicile Mazin
Contact : cm@actualitte.com
