## 1 Introduction  
Cultural heritage (CH) sites and artifacts have long presented challenges for preservation, analysis, collaboration, representation, and sharing, particularly with the limitationsof traditional 2D research, documentation, display, design, and evaluation methods. Before the advent of digital tools, maintaining accurate records of CH required painstaking efforts that often fell short of capturing the richness, complexity and protection of artifacts and sites. Today, however, extended reality (XR) technologies--encompassing virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), 360-degree scanning technologies, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)--offer transformative possibilities for CH preservation and sharing by creating 3D digital representations and visualizations. CH XR applications are a subset of Digital CH (DCH) applications. These CH XR innovations enable accurate representation and documentation using virtual replicas. Local sharing of augmented CH artifacts and sites, and remote sharing of virtual replicas of CH artifacts and sites, open new avenues for collaboration and immersive exploration. Additionally, virtual AI-powered tutors can significantly enhance engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. These AI avatars can be integrated into XR environments to provide personalized, effective, and scalable educational experiences. Many studies have supportive evidence for using XR for learning and exploring. For experiencing CH, XR could have an extensive impact on museum design, education, and tourism. Studies have measured learning retention in users interacting with XR-based cultural heritage applications and found them to outperform traditional methods. The researchers found that students learn more than twice as much in less time when using an AI tutor, compared with the active learning class [1]. They also found that students feel more engaged and more motivated. VR and AR experiences have been found to positively influence user attitudes, enhance cultural understanding, and encourage historical exploration [2; 3; 4; 5]. Early childhood education significantly shapes future success, enhanced by technology [6]. Interactive games with touchscreens and animations promote engagement and learning [6; 7]. XR aids in preserving and sharing cultural knowledge, allowing users to create and retain cultural memories through immersive experiences [8; 9]. High tourist satisfaction is noted with portable VR and AR systems [10]. Research has shown that integrating XR tools, such as virtual reconstructions and AR overlays, significantly increases user engagement by providing immersive and interactive experiences. For example, gamified elements in XR applications have been found to emotionally and physically engage users, creating stronger connections with cultural content [11]. Applications that combine visual, auditory, and tactile interactions lead to higher retention rates of historical and cultural knowledge [12]. XR technologies significantly enhance engagement and learning outcomes in CH contexts. The integration of gamification in virtual tours, as examined by [PERSON] et al. [13], has been shown to increase authenticity and user involvement. Furthermore, [PERSON] et al. [14] emphasized the importance of understanding user experience (UX) to optimize educational XR applications for CH, employing bespoke evaluation methodologies. Studies such as Ref. [15], on Experience-Technology Fit (ETF), highlight how mixed reality (MR) characteristics and voice user interfaces (VUIs) impact user satisfaction and learning retention. Additionally, projects like \"Past Has Ears\" [16] demonstrate the potential of multisensory XR experiences in cultural preservation by recreating acoustic environments to enhance immersive engagement. Together, these findings provide compelling motivations for creating a widely accessible XR-AI-powered pedagogy. This can significantly enhance learning outcomes, and they present a compelling case for its broad adoption in learning environments.