Business of truth telling: AI rewriting history and turning our understanding upside down!
Yes, as creators across different domains make advances in the use of A.I., will you believe in historical facts re-written by A.I.?
The world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more accessible to the masses, with people now experimenting with AI-powered tools like Dall-E and Stable Diffusion to create stunning artworks in mere seconds. Recently, a Twitter thread by @mvdhav showcasing AI-generated portraits of famous historical rulers like Prithviraj Chauhan and Babur went viral, sparking a debate about the capabilities of AI in art. The thread featured portraits of 21 rulers from different parts of history, including Bindusara, Ashoka, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Ranjit Singh, Shah Jahan and Sikandar Lodi.
However, many people in the comments noted that almost all of the portraits had similar features like sharp noses and similar skin tones, despite the rulers being from geographically diverse places. Some also pointed out that AI had portrayed Mughal rulers with Mongoloid features only, despite their mixed ethnicity. This has sparked a conversation about the limitations of AI in art and its impact on representation.
Can A.I. write history without human assistance?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the ability to process and analyze large amounts of data, making it a potentially powerful tool for historical research. However, AI currently lacks the ability to independently create new historical knowledge without human assistance. This is because AI systems are based on patterns and correlations they find in data, rather than possessing a deep understanding of the historical context and underlying causes of events.
One example of AI being used to assist historical research is the use of natural language processing (NLP) to analyze historical texts. NLP algorithms can be trained to identify patterns and themes in large collections of texts, making it possible to quickly identify and analyze significant events and trends. However, it is important to remember that these patterns are only as reliable as the quality of the data they are trained on.
Additionally, AI systems lack the ability to make judgments about the reliability or significance of historical sources. This is a crucial aspect of historical research that requires the knowledge, expertise, and critical thinking skills of human historians.
In conclusion, AI can be a valuable tool for historical research but it is not yet capable of independently creating new historical knowledge without human assistance, as it lacks the ability to understand underlying causes of events and make judgments about the reliability or significance of sources.
