Generative AI and Public History

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  • About Us
  • Ethics Statement
A photograph of a tall column which is inlayed with carvings of a parade of people and animals. The image was taken from below, panning up towards the top of the structure

A column with carvings of people and animals.
Courtesy of Pixabay

The ethical, environmental, and social consequences of Artificial Intelligence are inseparable from the technology itself. It is impossible to use AI without indirectly or directly supporting an industry that, for all its pros and cons, is controversial. This website is an attempt to showcase the utility of Artificial Intelligence in the field of Digital History. This site is not intended to replace historians as a whole, and is merely meant to show the ways in which AI can be used as an assistive tool. That being said, it is impossible to ignore the implicit difficulties whenever one is using AI. The relationship between history and the medium used to tell that history is inherently a complicated one. Artificial Intelligence poses a risk to the integrity and accuracy of history. That being said, this project aims to show that those risks can be mitigated and managed. AI can be an extremely useful and productive tool. It must be used responsibly, but that does not mean it shouldn’t be used at all. AI is undeniably a controversial technology, just by nature of its revolutionary potential. AI will have an effect on the way we understand history going forward, and it is up to educators and students like us to decide how to use this powerful tool responsibly. Although it is impossible to separate AI from its controversial effects on our society, politics, and environment, these effects will continue regardless. Educating others about the ways in which AI can be a powerful tool for good is a way to mitigate those negative effects. We believe that AI can be used effectively and responsibly in the right conditions and contexts. As the world continues to grapple with the consequences of this new technology, advocating for responsible use of AI will require familiarity with AI itself. There are many ways in which governments and individuals are currently utilizing AI across a wide array of applications and use-cases. Some or many of these applications do not align with the opinions or beliefs of the students working on this project or the author of this ethics statement.