Can AI help historians?

Artificial intelligence has found its place almost everywhere. The world of history is no exception. History researchers are increasingly using the power of algorithms to help them in their work. Benjamin Brillaud, aka NotaBene on YouTube, explains what's happening in the sector.

AI serves two main purposes.

• Firstly, it helps in the translation of ancient texts. Written sources are extremely important in history, and some, particularly those from antiquity, have been badly damaged by time. Think of the papyri that were largely charred by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Teams have begun to use non-invasive digitization systems to translate ink traces and thus discern terms. AIs are also working on cuneiform writing tablets, such as Akkadian or Sumerian, facilitating translation work.
  
  
• The second most important use is that of massive data. Algorithms can retain and easily find information in massive banks of text and images. For example, AI research has shown that women and quieter advisors during the Byzantine Empire had far more political influence than might otherwise have been thought.

So it's not surprising to see more and more applications using AI for historical study. However, we must be careful not to rely solely on the machine. It can make mistakes, or even invent things when it lacks information. Hence the importance of retaining human analysts. What's more, some artificial intelligences are programmed for a specific field, and their use by other researchers could, on the contrary, lead them astray.

Running time: 25min40