Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing how we perceive and preserve our cultural heritage and acts as a considerable impetus for the engagement of younger generations in the digital transmission of cultural identity, in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11.4. AI-based methods (e.g., deep learning-based approaches for image recognition, natural language processing for linguistic heritage, generative AI for cultural reconstruction) not only add a new dimension to our perception of our own culture, but also allow us to preserve, analyze, and restore tangible and intangible heritage. Neural networks are used to restore missing or damaged artifacts, and AI-based computational ethnography deepens our understanding of both historical and sociocultural contexts. Corporate and institutional efforts bolster AI’s influence on cultural sustainability. Google Arts & Culture uses deep learning with ultra-high-resolution archival images of your favourite work to create interactive virtual enhancement of the work to promote digital cultural literacy. To combat this, some suggest deploying AI to preserve cultural landmarks; UNESCO already uses AI-powered heritage monitoring systems to evaluate the effect of climate change and human activity on historical locations, using predictive analytics to identify how best to proactively preserve sites. Throughout all this, empirical evidence continues to emerge, reinforcing AI as an indispensable tool in the preservation of global heritage. AI-assisted methods to achieve digital documentation have shown statistical analyses in which most of the (known) cultural heritage sites (above 50%) have faster documentation for conservation. Furthermore, sentiment analysis of digital engagement patterns shows that AI-curated cultural content increases interest and retention rates among the youth, virtually up to 40%. AI, a new milestone, provides solutions of conserving oasis without structure. The resilience that emerges from the synergy between AI and heritage sciences can ascertain the ascending generation to generation transmission of cultural identity, in accordance with the long-term perspective envisioned in SDG 11.4 that facilitates the shaping of democratic values, share knowledge and practices on sustainable development as a holistic approach of dealing with the great transition era.