White House’s ‘Founders Museum’ blurs history, AI-generated fiction : NPR
An image generated by AI of the AI of former President John Adams is part of an exhibition which is a partnership between the Trump and Prageru Advisory Conservative Administration.
The White House / Prageru
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The White House / Prageru
A new history exhibition commissioned by the Trump administration has perplexed historians, because the decline in the administration on the arts and history raises questions about the omission of marginalized voices in the history of the country.
Eighty -two paintings – including portraits of the 56 signatories of the declaration of independence, as well as key events from the American Foundation – make up the Founders Museum.
The exhibition, a few steps from the White House inside the building of the Eisenhower Executive Bureau, marks a partnership between the Blanche Maison de l’Ambressement 250’s operational force and the prageru non-profit curator to celebrate the broadcast of the American semi-centinal next year.
In addition to the paintings of Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Betsy Ross, the museum also offers more than 40 short videos generated by the AI -AI of these historical characters who come to life to share their stories – all available online and produced by Prageru.
In a declaration at NPR, the White House said that the exhibition uses the power of AI so that “these people, these places and events come to life, which makes history engaging to the Americans across the country”.
“While the project to develop the founders and the signatories of the declaration of independence is that of many historians would admire and support,” said William G. Thomas, vice-president of the research division of the American Historical Association, “I think there are concerns about the way in this case.”
This includes concerns about how words and stories of real historical figures could be reshaped by their AI counterparts.
Prageru CEO Marissa Streit told NPR that videos were a joint effort between the White House experts, Prageru scholars and largely referenced historical sources.
Grazing the lines between reality and fiction
The danger of projects like the Founders Museum, according to Brendan Gillis, director of teaching and learning of the American Historical Association, is that it is closely focused on a small set of experiences, which gives the impression that it is the whole American revolutionary history that we must know. But, he said, “there are many, many more people who shaped the American revolution and have kept this story.”
One concern is how the videos generated by AI can sometimes blur the border between reality and fiction. In a video, a John Adams generated artificially said: “The facts do not care about your feelings” – a sentence often used by the conservative commentator and presenter of Prageru Ben Shapiro.
“I have real concerns about the extent to which they weave words that are kept in primary sources from historical characters with other types of comments,” explains Gillis. “And it’s not always clear [when] The historical characters have in fact said the words that come out of their mouths, or wrote them, and when it is the work of anyone who scripted them. “”
“Viewers must understand that representations are meticulous interpretations – based on letters, speeches and original writings of the time,” said Stoit in response to concerns about the supply of videos.
Other videos of the exhibition seem to ignore the key aspects of the life of the figures, leading to what can feel like large features of history. Karin Wulf, professor of history at Brown University, indicates that the writer and the revolutionary thinker Mercy Otis Warren as an example.
An image generated by the AI-AI of the revolutionary writer Mercy Otis Warren is part of an exhibition which is exhibited near the White House.
The White House / Prageru
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The White House / Prageru
“In the video, he recognizes that she is a writer, and that writing was not something that women were encouraged to do, certainly in public,” said Wulf. “But it then makes him say this kind of palum on patriotism and freedom which are so much less strict and so much less powerful than what she really said at the time.”
Warren has sadly criticized the founders, writing in his observations of the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, “America has, in many cases, resembled the conduct of a restless, vigorous and luxurious, emancipated prematurely of the authority of a parent, but without the experience necessary to direct it to act with dignity or discretion.”
“Give us five minutes and we will give you a semester”
Prageru was founded by the longtime conservative radio host Dennis Prager and her producer Allen Estrin in 2009 to promote conservative values through courses taught in five -minute videos.
“We used to say at first,” give us five minutes, and we will give you a semester “,” said Estrin New York hours in 2020.
Prageru openly admits that it is not an accredited university. The organization of non -profit media produces thousands of videos “EDUTAINMENT” on subjects from history to science, collecting millions of views.
But Prageru faced criticism for deceptive and inaccurate content, more recently for an episode of his series Prageru Kids, The adventures of the history of Leo & LaylaIn which Christopher Columbus recounts two brothers and sisters who travel in time, “being taken as a slave is better than being killed, right? I do not see the problem.”
Prageru kids’ series, The adventures of the history of Leo & Layla.
The adventures of History of Prageru / Leo & Layla
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The adventures of History of Prageru / Leo & Layla
Critics criticized the episode and others, accusing it of minimizing the historical meaning of slavery and the experiences of the enslaved peoples.
Streit says that the criticisms have distorted the videos and described the criticism of “dishonest”.
Defending the episode of Columbus, Streit explains the reason why they did not condemn it is because “it would be historically inaccurate”.
Streit says: “We will not excuse it; in fact, we clearly show that slavery is bad, explaining this in a manner adapted to age. At the same time, we teach that historical figures must be understood with the context and the standards of their own era.”
American size and voice of marginalized
Prageru plans to take the Founders Museum on the road with “mobile museum trucks” in cities in the whole country to give the public a chance to live the exhibition in person before the 250th anniversary of America.
Streit, in an interview on the Prageru website, says that the company will take advantage of it during the semi-printing to “revive patriotism and give a certain perspective that yes, America has its imperfections. Of course we want to teach this.”
The White House says that she sent letters to the governors and ambassadors of the state encouraging them to put the Museum founders in their state capitals, schools and embassies.
The unveiling of the Founders Museum coincides with the criticisms of President Trump on the Smithsonian institution, in particular exhibitions on slavery, immigration and LGBTQ +history.
“The history that is best for us in countries, and in our ambition for a complete democracy and complete freedom and freedom is for everyone, is the most complete in everyone’s history. And if you look at the history of all people, 40% of Virginians have been enslaved,” said Wulf.
