02-07-2025
Museum of African American History uses AI to share Black history
The Museum of African American History is using AI to share the stories of iconic Black Bostonians.
Why it matters: The museum is expanding its use of AI beyond its Frederick Douglass hologram in hopes of bringing new life to the museum's artifacts — and thus to the telling of African American history in Massachusetts.
State of play: The "Black Voices of the Revolution" exhibit opened Tuesday in the Abiel Smith School with two interactive, AI-based displays.
One lets visitors hear from historic Black women, including Elizabeth Freeman, one of the first enslaved people to successfully sue for their freedom in Massachusetts.
The other lets visitors interview the museum's collection of primary sources, pulling details from the collection to answer questions and prompts like a chatbot.
What they're saying: The exhibit "is an opportunity for us to tell a unique story of the American Revolution from the African American perspective," Noelle Trent, the museum's president and CEO, tells Axios.
Trent says the partnership with TimeLooper has enabled the museum to use AI in an ethical manner to share these stories.
Zoom in: The exhibit examines six topics, ranging from slavery to relationships with indigenous people to Black print culture, per a press release.
The exhibit not only shares African American perspectives around the American Revolution, but also highlights other issues African Americans faced at the time, whether as enslaved people or freed communities.
If you go: The museum is open the rest of the week, including July Fourth.
