As the art world continues to embrace digital transformation, transparency, trust, and technology are more important than ever. At Appraisal Bureau, we’re often asked about the specifics of how our platform delivers valuation services that are more defensible, secure, and modernized than traditional methods. Below, we answer some of the most common questions to help you better understand how our system works and why it matters.
Q: When you describe Appraisal Bureau as offering greater transparency in art valuations, what exactly is more transparent?
A: Traditional appraisals often represent a single moment in time and offer limited visibility into the data used. In contrast, our platform supports ongoing valuations backed by a live, structured dataset that includes both primary and secondary market transactions. This data goes well beyond the auction-only information used by most platforms. Because Appraisal Bureau does not participate in the art market in any way beyond valuations, our neutrality has earned us a high degree of trust, granting access to data others can’t obtain. This makes our appraisals more transparent, accurate, and defensible.
Q: Is your data model comparable to platforms like Zillow or LexisNexis?
A: Yes, very much so. Like Zillow or LexisNexis, our system aggregates structured data from both public and private sources. We are building the art market’s foundational data layer—infrastructure that powers accurate, scalable, and compliant valuations. Our AI models are trained on this data and supported by expert human input, similar to how Zillow’s Zestimate works. The result is a hybrid system where machine learning and human expertise work together.
Q: How secure is my data on the platform? Is it used to train your AI models?
A: Data security and client privacy are top priorities. We use enterprise-grade encryption—both at rest and in transit—alongside strict access controls. All client data is stored in our private AWS cloud environment and undergoes regular security audits.
Regarding AI training: client data is never used to train our generative systems without explicit consent. Our models are trained on publicly available data and operate without storing or learning from confidential client information. We maintain a strict separation between customer data and our training sets, and we’re happy to share detailed security protocols upon request.
Q: What role does the human element play in your valuation process?
A: Every valuation output from our AI is reviewed and approved by a certified human appraiser. This “human in the loop” process ensures the appraisals are not only data-backed but also context-aware. The human appraiser evaluates the system-generated analysis, confirms the integrity of comparables, and adjusts for nuances that automated systems might miss—such as provenance, condition, or recent market trends. The depth of human involvement varies based on the complexity and uniqueness of each work.
Q: How does Appraisal Bureau protect clients in the event of litigation around a valuation?
A: Each valuation report we produce is assigned a unique ID and permanently stored in our secure database. Reports are fully compliant with USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice), but we’ve modernized the format: rather than a static PDF, our reports exist as dynamic records with embedded comps, supporting documentation, and version control. This makes them more defensible in court and far more robust than traditional reports that may lack context or audit trails.
Q: What’s the process for uploading a collection to your platform? Is it compatible with other inventory systems?
A: We’ve designed multiple pathways for seamless data migration. If your collection is managed in another system, you can export the metadata to a CSV file and use our built-in bulk import tool. For larger or more complex migrations, our team can build custom automations to streamline the process. We’re also developing connectors for popular inventory platforms to make integration even easier. Throughout onboarding, our white-glove support ensures your data is accurately transferred with minimal disruption.