AI Chatbots Now Let You Talk to Historical Figures Like Shakespeare and Andy Warhol

AI Chatbot Concept

Photo: phonlamai/Depositphotos

As the use of AI chatbots increases, people are finding innovative ways to use this technology. And while there are legitimate concerns about how AI should be used, there are several sites showing that—when done correctly—a chatbot can provide a unique and enriching experience. The Hello History app and Character.ai website both provide this type of experience, by allowing users to engage in conversation with historical figures.

Hello History, which was created by the Swedish company Facing It, has an easy interface that includes the chance to chat with everyone from Buddha to Sir Isaac Newton to Elvis Presley. Whether asking Marilyn Monroe her thoughts on the Me Too movement or getting Frida Kahlo's perspective on AI art, the conversations are a fun way to engage with history.

Character.ai is a website where you'll find an even wider range of bots to converse with. There are, of course, all the standard historical figures like Albert Einstein, Napoleon, and Socrates. But living figures ranging from several Elon Musks to Billie Eilish are also available. You can even chat with popular anime characters or your favorite TV personality.

William Shakespeare on Hello History

Photo: Hello History/Jessica Stewart

Created by two former Google researchers, Character.ai is trying to build a new—more honest—chatbot. All chats have a clear message at the top to remind people that these conversations are tech-generated. And, as a community-based site, people are able to create their own chatbot characters, each of which is linked back to their profile.

These developments seem like positive steps forward at a time when schools are struggling with how to incorporate the technology into the classroom while combatting plagiarism. Sites and apps like Hello History and Character.ai are two ways that students can “converse” with the figures they are learning about.

As one German university student told The New York Times, these types of chatbots can be enriching. Jonas Thiel studies socioeconomics and has used Character.ai to chat with some of the political philosophers that he studies. His favorite interaction was with Karl Kautsky, a Czech-Austrian philosopher who died in 1938.

“If you read what someone like Kautsky wrote in the 19th century, he does not use the same language we use today,” Thiel shared. “But the A.I. can somehow translate his ideas into ordinary modern English.”

While these characters won't always get it right, this is certainly just the beginning of how chatbots will start being used in more interesting, innovative ways.

Hello History and Character.ai are two places where chatbots are used to let you talk with historic figures.

Andy Warhol Chatbot

Photo: Hello History/Jessica Stewart

Julius Caesar Chatbot

Photo: Character.ai/Jessica Stewart

You can ask Elvis a lighthearted question or dive into a meaningful conversation with Buddha.

Elvis Presley Chatbot

Photo: Hello History/Jessica Stewart

Buddha Chatbot

Photo: Character.ai/Jessica Stewart

When used well, these chatbots use AI to break down complicated concepts into simple language.

Einstein Chatbot

Photo: Character.ai/Jessica Stewart

And make us think about how these personalities would feel about our world today.

Marilyn Monroe Chatbot

Photo: Hello History/Jessica Stewart

Frida Kahlo Chatbot

Photo: Hello History/Jessica Stewart

h/t: [Open Culture]

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Staff Editor and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book "Street Art Stories Roma" and most recently contributed to "Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini." You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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