Can Agentic AI Bring The Pope Or The Queen Back To Life — And Rewrite History?
Can Agentic AI Bring the Pope or the Queen Back to Life — and Rewrite History?
Elon Musk recently sparked global debate by claiming AI could soon be powerful enough to rewrite history. He stated on X (formerly Twitter) that his AI platform, Grok, could 'rewrite the entire corpus of human knowledge, adding missing information and deleting errors.' This bold claim arrives alongside a recent groundbreaking announcement from Google: the launch of Google Veo3 AI Video Generator, a state-of-the-art AI video generation model capable of producing cinematic-quality videos from text and images.
Part of the Google Gemini ecosystem, Google Veo3 AI generates lifelike videos complete with synchronized audio, dynamic camera movements, and coherent multi-scene narratives. Its intuitive editing tools, combined with accessibility through platforms like Google Gemini, Flow, Vids, and Vertex AI, open new frontiers for filmmakers, marketers, educators, and game designers alike.
At the same time, industry leaders — including OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft Copilot, and Mistral (Claude) — are racing to build more sophisticated agentic AI systems. Unlike traditional reactive AI tools, these agents are designed to reason, plan, and orchestrate autonomous actions based on goals, feedback, and long-term context. This evolution marks a shift toward AI systems that function much like a skilled executive assistant — and beyond.
The Promise: Immortalizing Legacy Through Agentic AI
Together, these advances raise a fascinating question:
What if agentic AI could bring historical figures like the Pope or the Queen back to life digitally? Could it even reshape our understanding of history itself?
Imagine an AI trained on decades — or even a century — of video footage, writings, audio recordings, and public appearances by iconic figures such as Pope Francis or Queen Elizabeth II. Using agentic AI, we could create realistic, interactive digital avatars capable of offering insights, delivering messages, or simulating how these individuals might respond to today's complex issues based on their documented philosophies and behaviors.
This application could benefit millions. For example, Catholic followers might seek guidance and blessings from a digital Pope, educators could build immersive historical simulations, and advisors to the British royal family could analyze past decision-making styles. After all, as the saying goes, 'history repeats itself,' and access to nuanced, context-rich perspectives from the past could illuminate our present.
The Risk: The Dangerous Flip Side — Rewriting Truth Itself
However, the same technologies that can immortalize could also distort and manipulate reality. If agentic AI can reconstruct the past, what prevents it — or malicious actors — from rewriting it?
Autonomous agents that control which stories are amplified or suppressed online pose a serious threat. We risk a future where deepfakes, synthetic media, and AI-generated propaganda blur the line between fact and fiction. Already, misinformation campaigns and fake news challenge our ability to discern truth. Agentic AI could exponentially magnify these problems, making it harder than ever to distinguish between genuine history and fabricated narratives.
Imagine a world where search engines no longer provide objective facts, but the version of history shaped by governments, corporations, or AI systems themselves. This could lead to widespread confusion, social polarization, and a fundamental erosion of trust in information.
Ethics, Regulation, and Responsible Innovation
The advent of agentic AI demands not only excitement but also ethical foresight and regulatory vigilance. Programming AI agents to operate autonomously requires walking a fine line between innovation and manipulation. Transparency in training data, explainability in AI decisions, and strict regulation of how agents interact are essential safeguards.
The critical question is not just 'Can we?' but 'Should we?' Policymakers, developers, and industry leaders must collaborate to establish global standards and oversight mechanisms that ensure AI technologies serve the public good. Just as financial markets and pharmaceuticals drugs are regulated to protect society, so too must the AI agents shaping our future be subject to robust guardrails.
As the old adage goes:
'Technology is neither good nor bad. It's how we use it that makes all the difference.'
Navigating the Future of Agentic AI and Historical Data
The convergence of generative video models like Google Veo3, visionary leaders like Elon Musk, and the rapid rise of agentic AI paints a complex and compelling picture. Yes, we may soon see lifelike digital recreations of the Pope or the Queen delivering messages, advising future generations, and influencing public discourse.
But whether these advancements become tools of enlightenment or distortion depends entirely on how we govern, regulate, and ethically deploy these technologies today. The future of agentic AI — especially when it touches our history and culture — must be navigated with care, responsibility, and a commitment to truth.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks That Could Be Poised for a Big Second-Half Comeback
Growth stocks, including AI players, faced challenging times earlier in the first half as investors worried about the economy. The following two players could benefit from positive news in the months to come. 10 stocks we like better than Apple › The first half of the year has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride for stocks -- and investors. Though all three major indexes have now crossed into positive territory, that wasn't the story just a few weeks ago. The S&P 500 index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the Nasdaq Composite each sank in the early months of the year amid concerns that President Donald Trump's import tariff plan would hurt the economy, earnings, and stock performance. Since then, positive signs, such as initial trade deals and strong earnings reports, have eased investors' minds, and as a result, the indexes rebounded. Still, certain growth stocks, such as some artificial intelligence (AI) players, remain in the doldrums and are heading for a first-half decline. Let's take a look at two that could be poised for a big second-half comeback. As Trump announced his tariff plan, investors worried about what it could mean for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), in particular, because the company produces most of its iPhones in China, a country most highly targeted by tariffs. Though the president exempted electronics products, this exemption is temporary. He even threatened Apple recently with a 25% tariff on all imported iPhones. Apple made a move to diversify its manufacturing base, promising that most U.S.-destined iPhones would soon be made in India, but that country faces tariffs, too. All this tariff uncertainty weighed on Apple stock, pushing it down by about 20% so far this year. So, why should we expect a comeback in the second half? While Trump is serious about bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., it's unlikely that he and his administration would make moves to destroy some of the country's top companies, including Apple. We've seen signs of flexibility in initial U.S. trade deals with the U.K. and China, so it's reasonable to expect a compromise with tech companies that won't limit their growth. Meanwhile, Apple is a well-established player with a strong financial situation. The company has more than $48 billion in cash and marketable securities. So, it has the resources to address challenges. At the same time, the smartphone giant has a newish growth engine in the form of services. Services revenue, thanks to Apple's huge base of installed devices, has reached record levels quarter after quarter. This growth should continue as loyal Apple users continue to rely on the company for data storage, digital entertainment, and more. All this means that today, Apple looks like a bargain, trading at 27 times forward earnings estimates, down from more than 35 times late last year. These levels offer it plenty of room to run, and it may do just that on any good news in the second half. SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) is a specialist in voice AI, with its technology powering voice systems in cars and restaurant ordering systems, to mention just two examples. The stock has plummeted 50% so far this year, but I see this as more of a buying opportunity than a reason to worry, and here's why. First, after a 150% increase in SoundHound shares over the past year, it's not surprising that some investors may have locked in gains in recent times. Second, growth companies -- particularly young growth companies -- may struggle to expand during rough economic times, so investors' concerns earlier this year led to a sell-off of these sorts of players. Today, it's important to look at SoundHound's earnings performance and long-term prospects. The company is in high-growth mode, with revenue soaring 150% in the latest quarter as it expands its customer base across various sectors. This is key because use across industries lowers risk, meaning if one customer or industry suffers, SoundHound won't necessarily suffer alongside it. SoundHound has numerous patents protecting its technology, a system that immediately translates speech into meaning without the speech-to-text step. This results in speed and improved quality. SoundHound's rapid growth and revenue of $29 million in the quarter, along with the forecasted $140 billion AI voice market size, suggest that much more growth could be ahead for this voice specialist. All this means that as uncertainty about the general economy lifts and SoundHound continues to deliver growth, the stock could roar higher in the second half of the year. Before you buy stock in Apple, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Apple wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $713,547!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $966,931!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,062% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 177% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025 Adria Cimino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks That Could Be Poised for a Big Second-Half Comeback was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
1 No-Brainer Space Stock to Buy Right Now
Intuitive Machines is the only publicly traded company to have successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon in the last 50 years. It's landed twice, and has NASA contracts to try twice more. Intuitive Machines shares went on sale last month, falling 14% in price. 10 stocks we like better than Intuitive Machines › Sometimes, bad news for a stock investor can be good news for a stock buyer. Take the case of Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR). One month ago, I asked myself if Intuitive Machines -- a stock I already own -- might be worth buying even more of, after its share price nearly doubled from the price at which I first bought it. Paying twice the price for the very same stock ordinarily wouldn't sound like much of a bargain. In fact, after running the valuation on the stock in May, I ended up hedging my bet and arguing it might be worth buying. Yet it also seemed to cost more than I usually consider an acceptable valuation for an unprofitable space stock. But that was then, and this is now. Over the past month, shares of Intuitive Machines have slumped 14%, closing Friday below $11 a share. For existing shareholders, that's disappointing. For investors looking to buy into Intuitive Machines for the first time, however, it may be an opportunity. In case you're unfamiliar with the company, Intuitive Machines is the very definition of a space stock. The company is best known for being the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon, and for landing an American spacecraft on the moon for the first time since the Apollo era 50 years ago. It has in fact landed spacecraft on the moon twice now. Granted, neither landing was 100% successful -- both vehicles toppled over on their sides after landing -- but they did touch down safe and intact before keeling over. The company has secured NASA contracts for two more landing attempts, scheduled to take place in 2026 and 2027. And Intuitive Machines has promised to "incorporate ... lessons learned" from the first two partially successful landings to try and improve its performance on the next two. According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company was paid $132 million for its first landing and $122 million for the second (with both NASA and various commercial customers contributing to the revenue). Intuitive Machines' third mission, IM-3, is said to be priced at $87 million, but that number may be increased, and doesn't yet include payments from commercial customers. As valuable as these moon landing contracts are, however, they're arguably dwarfed by a completely different kind of contract Intuitive Machines secured from NASA last year. For $4.8 billion, spread across 10 years (so $480 million per year -- quadruple the value of a lander contract), the company has been hired to build a Near Space Network of satellites that will relay communications from low earth orbit to the moon and back. Over the past few years, both stock markets and corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been valuing (mostly unprofitable) space stocks in a range of 2 to 4 times annual revenue. Intuitive Machines did $217 million in revenue last year, implying the stock should cost less than $880 million today. And yet it currently costs closer to $1.3 billion; factoring in "shares held by non-controlling interest holders," S&P Global Market Intelligence data suggests the company's implied market capitalization might be as high as $2 billion. So is that too much to pay? I think not. Why not? Well, just consider a future in which Intuitive Machines keeps launching one moon lander per year for NASA and its private customers (say, $120 million in revenue), operates its Near Space Network (for another $480 million), and does nothing else at all. Imagine it doesn't provide communications services to private customers with payloads on the moon, launch more often than once per year, or explore any new business opportunities in space. That's still $600 million a year in revenue, and at a revenue valuation (price-to-sales ratio) of 4, it implies that Intuitive Machines stock should be worth $2.4 billion -- and that's assuming the company does all of this unprofitably. (The price-to-sales ratio of 2 to 4 only applies to unprofitable space companies, remember.) Yet analysts polled by S&P Global anticipate that Intuitive Machines actually will begin reporting profits based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) just two years from now, in 2027. Even taking the most extreme estimate of the stock's current valuation today, $2 billion, that means the stock is probably already undervalued -- and a buy. Before you buy stock in Intuitive Machines, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Intuitive Machines wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $713,547!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $966,931!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,062% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 177% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025 Rich Smith has positions in Intuitive Machines. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends S&P Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 1 No-Brainer Space Stock to Buy Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump says there's a TikTok buyer that he'll reveal in ‘about two weeks'
President Donald Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday there is a 'buyer for TikTok,' teasing an announcement to come in 'about two weeks.' 'We have a buyer for TikTok by the way. I think I'll need probably China approval, and I think President Xi will probably do it,' the president said on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.' Asked who the buyer is going to be, Trump said, 'I'll tell you in about two weeks.' 'It's a group of very wealthy people,' the president added. It's been about five months since a law requiring TikTok to be banned in the United States unless it was sold off by its China-based parent company, ByteDance, technically went into effect. But thanks to President Donald Trump's promises not to enforce the law, neither of those things have happened, aside from an approximately 14-hour blackout in January. Trump has instead signed three orders delaying enforcement on the ban. As a June 19 deadline to enforce the sale-or-ban law approached earlier this month, Trump granted TikTok a 90-day extension. The deadline for its parent company ByteDance to hand over control of TikTok's US operations is now September 17. The delay raised questions about the status of a deal that could secure TikTok's long-term future in the US. The Chinese government has offered little public indication that it would be willing to approve a sale beyond suggesting that any deal could not include TikTok's 'algorithm,' which has been called the app's secret sauce. In April, a deal that would have transferred majority control of TikTok's US operations to American ownership was nearly finalized. But it fell apart after Trump announced additional tariffs on China, forcing the president to announce another 75-day delay to keep the app operational in the United States. 'There are key matters to be resolved. Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law,' TikTok parent company ByteDance said after Trump's tariff policy stalled progress on the deal in April. Former president Joe Biden last year signed the sale-or-ban law last year to go into effect January 19. TikTok briefly took itself offline, sparking outcry from creators, but quickly came back after Trump signed his first order delaying the ban's enforcement by 75 days. It was one of his first acts as president, made in hopes of reaching a deal to keep the app 'alive.'
