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technology to keep their memory alive for future generations.
The future: approaching AI in partnership
Throughout the conference, there were calls for governments to improve the digital literacy of educators, students, and researchers to allow them to critically engage with AI tools and recognize AI-generated misinformation.
Dr. Rik Smit, University of Groningen, noted that part of the solution is transparency and ethics in design and he advocated for AI companies to consult experts during the design process of generative AI tools. Dr Smit encouraged us to ask ourselves: what problem is this tool aiming to solve? And who is benefitting from it? He also cautioned that regulation is not always the answer, explaining that: “Big Tech loves regulation. It is a PR strategy: we are so big you need to regulate us.”
Dr. Samuel Merrill from Umeå University’s Department of Sociology and Centre for Digital Social Research encouraged Holocaust experts not to shy away from partnership with experts outside their usual fields: “We are not going to learn each others’ languages without speaking to each other. There is a strong argument for getting computer scientists at the table with us,” he said.
As the conference drew to a close, Advisor to the IHRA, Dr Robert Williams, painted a hopeful picture: “Imagine a student in a remote corner of the world where there is limited access to formal education. They have a computer and internet access. With the power of AI, they can learn about the complexities of the Holocaust and Jewish life in rich, imaginative, interactive ways. They can have access to authentic sources. They can watch testimonies in their own language. They can use chatbots or virtual learning assistants to provide personalized education in ways that were previously unimaginable.”
“But if we continue to work in isolation,” he cautioned “the battle is lost.”
The IHRA, with its unique network of experts and governments, was identified as an organization that could act as a convener for these different groups, developing guidance and strengthening government commitments to broad-scale digitization efforts.
Though the speakers at the conference came from diverse fields, their message was unified: we cannot solve a global challenge by working in local limits and within our own subject-matter bubble. Historians, computer scientists, policymakers, and educators need to work together if we want to see AI applications that respect the complexities of Holocaust memory.