A recently-launched AI company based in Whately, Massachusetts, wants to use the technology to make history education more interactive. This year, they became an official programming partner for America's 250th anniversary celebrations.
The company is called Virtual WayBack: a small, local operation founded in 2024. They use artificial intelligence to create digital replicas of historical figures, which can have real-time conversations through the company's website. The group was founded by Jonathan Edwards, a former Whately select board member and one-time candidate for lieutenant governor. He said he was inspired during a conversation with some of his friends who teach middle school history.
"They do an annual trip to Washington D.C.," Edwards explained. "I said 'oh I'm curious, what's the best part of the trip in the eyes of your students?' They said 'oh... the bus trip down there.'"
Edwards said that got the gears turning about how to make history education more exciting.
"Oh! And it dawned on me," he said. "We're teaching 21st century students with 20th century technologies.
That was the spark for Virtual Wayback. Edwards had previously headed a local cybersecurity company, and through his contacts in tech, came to the conclusion that AI historical figures were the best way to capture the attention of history students.
"Now I can deliver instructional helpers if you will, to teachers with their pedagogy," Edwards said. "And for tourism, I can capture the imagination of people like you and me.
Edwards envisions eventually using augmented reality tech in conjunction with artificial intelligence at particular historical sites. It would allow tourists to view those sites as they were in the past, talking to AI versions of figures from that time and place. For now though, that is all still in the proof-of-concept phase.
Earlier this year, the company announced it's partnership with America250, the semi-public non-profit that's organizing events nationwide for the country's semiquincentennial. The partnership is primarily for branding purposes: Virtual Wayback doesn't get any money from the group, but is rolling out new content as a programming partner under the America 250 umbrella.
"With America 250, I approached them and said 'well what you're doing is great, but what if we gave people the opportunity have conversations with the people who formed this country?" Edwards said.
Using AI to create these digital copies of real people does present some questions about how authentic an AI replica can actually be. Brendan Gillis is the director of Teaching and Learning for the American Historical Association, which released its guidelines on AI in history education last summer. He says the technology can do great things, but requires vigilance to ensure it doesn't give students misinformation.
"It's very easy," Gillis explained. "if you are not incredibly careful with the source material you feed into these AI engines, to create errors, mistakes, to throw up obstacles to student learning."
"It's very easy, if you are not incredibly careful with the source material you feed into these AI engines, to create errors, mistakes, to throw up obstacles to student learning." — Brendan Gillis, American Historical Association,
Gillis pointed to an exhibit at the Founder's Museum in D.C last year, which also used AI replicas of historical figures. It was created by the conservative media group PragerU, and featured some key anachronisms, like AI John Adams referencing right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro. To Gillis, it highlights that the AI algorithms producing these digital figures are rooted in contemporary sensibilities, because the people who made them live in the modern day.
"You know an AI generated Thomas Jefferson is always gonna have a little bit of 2026 in there," Gillis said. "And trying to figure out how to control that and help students understand where that influence is can be an interesting pedagogical exercise."
Edwards agrees that AI is not perfect, and he stressed that Virtual WayBack uses strong guardrails and relevant datasets to keep their digital figures focused on history. He said while there's no shortage of negative outcomes that can be exacerbated by certain uses of AI, it's important to pursue a vision of the technology that can help people, and foster excitement about things like history education.
"The good thing is that people are aware of the evil, the bad that can come from AI, but they're also aware of the good," Edwards said. "But if you're going to highlight the negatives, you also want to build good use scenarios around positives. And if AI can build greater awareness of history, build excitement around tourism and excitement around what was where, when and who said what, and build a dialog, that's great."
He has grand dreams for the project — like working with local historical societies to make AI replicas tailor made for them. He says if it pays off, it could become an economic engine for Western Massachusetts, selling contracts to educators and tourism officials who want to use the tech for their particular programming or curriculum.
