Cultural heritage underpins national identity and historical continuity, yet in the age of digital transformation, its sustainable preservation and dissemination depend increasingly on advanced technologies. Among these, artificial intelligence has become a major catalyst for analyzing complex datasets, simulating realistic reconstructions, and enhancing the conservation of human heritage. This study provides a systematic bibliometric analysis of global research trends at the intersection of cultural heritage and AI. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database and examined through VOSviewer to map scientific collaboration structures and thematic evolution. The indicators explored include annual publication growth, leading countries, influential authors, and co authorship and keyword co occurrence networks. The findings reveal a remarkable increase in scholarly output between 2015 and 2025, signaling a paradigmatic shift toward interdisciplinary research. European nations particularly Italy, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Spain lead in establishing enduring collaboration networks, while Asian countries such as China, India, South Korea, and Indonesia demonstrate accelerated growth. However, high publication productivity does not necessarily imply extensive international cooperation. Temporal concept analysis highlights a progression from traditional documentation and conservation to a technologically innovative stage characterized by large language models, generative AI, and augmented reality, which are shaping interactive digital heritage ecosystems. Overall, the results emphasize a global transition toward the full integration of AI throughout the life cycle of cultural heritage preservation and management. The study offers guidance for policymakers and researchers to identify emerging knowledge domains and foster more effective cross national collaborations for sustainable digital heritage practices.