The Splitblog in January – Bringing History to Life with AI
The sometimes justified criticism of the use of AI does not stop. The media is full of headlines about deepfakes and misinformation. However, we don’t want to start the new year negatively, but rather dedicate ourselves to positive topics.
AI, especially AI image generators, has been used for some time to visually recreate historical people and scenes. This primarily helps researchers to get a better picture of past events and deepen their research.
AI in history lessons
But also pupils can benefit from the use of AI in history lessons. The human brain demonstrably understands images better than words. A fact that regularly presents teachers with challenges. Most of us certainly remember boring lesson monologues, the content of which was forgotten at the latest with the break bell. History lessons in particular are difficult to make tangible, because the budget and time for regular visits to museums or other venues are limited. AI can at least partially remedy this. With its help, it becomes possible to bring historical moments, people and scenes into the present. Instead of verbal descriptions, for example of historical artifacts, AI image generators can realistically recreate these artifacts and thus stimulate the imagination. Historical scenes can be relived as video sequences. With the series “Deepfake Diaries”, ZDF has brought contemporary witnesses to life with the help of AI technology. This series impressively shows how a new form of history lessons can be created through the combination of historical recordings and modern AI technology.
Opportunities and challenges
Of course, tact and caution are also required here. Data protection concerns must be taken into account and AI-generated content must always be checked for its veracity. But here, too, there is an opportunity to turn risks into opportunities: Can pupils distinguish between fact and fiction? For example, do they find errors in videos or false statements in AI-generated contemporary witness reports? This would not only train historical knowledge, but also critical media use at the same time. Pupils could learn how to check information and how to use digital media responsibly. This is particularly important in a time when misinformation and manipulation are omnipresent.
AI in other subjects
But not only history lessons can benefit from the use of AI. In art lessons, for example, AI can transform landscape panoramas into vivid scenes. Or how about asking authors “personally” in German lessons what they wanted to express with their poems and works? Through the use of AI, pupils could enter into interactive conversations with historical figures and thus develop a deeper understanding of literature and contemporary history.
More on the topic
Instructions for pupils on how to chat with historical figures can be found here: https://www.kiraffe.de/materials/Lernpfade/historische-persoenlichkeiten.html . This is also possible, for example, with the app “Hello History – AI Chat”.
Or to watch: https://www.zdf.de/dokus/terra-x-history-deepfake-diaries-100
To read: https://hisgoespub.hypotheses.org/5676 , https://eisenbach-einst-und-jetzt.de/wenn-alte-fotos-lebendig-werden-ki-clips-aus-eisenbachs-geschichte , https://deutsches-schulportal.de/unterricht/zeitzeugen-als-hologramme-wie-digitale-loesungen-naehe-schaffen/
