Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) technology has the potential to transform the study of history. Although AI tools such as chatbots, predictive text and grammar checkers have been around for decades, it is only in the last couple of years that the rapid development of large language models has made GAI an accessible way of generating content including text, images, audio or video.
This offers exciting opportunities for historical research. For example, Voices, a project led by Trinity College Dublin (https://voicesproject.ie/) is using artificial intelligence to uncover women’s experiences in Ireland from 1500 to 1700. Tools such as GPT-4 from OpenAI and Transkribus, which recognises text from historical manuscripts, will harvest women’s names from a wide range of digitised sources including legal records, censuses and inquisitions. This will enable detailed profiles of the women to be developed.
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