13 Bridging Centuries: Using AI-Powered Chat to Connect Students with Historical Figures
Derek Bergen and Tasha Fisher
Abstract
Humy is an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that allows students to “interview” AI-generated versions of over 2000 historical figures. In this chapter, we examine how the tool can be used to enhance engagement, critical thinking and personalized learning in History and Social Studies’ classrooms. Humy empowers students to engage in inquiry-based learning and offers unique lesson and assignment ideas for educators to explore. Through case studies and practical guidance, educators will learn how to effectively integrate AI into their own instructional design.
Introduction
Teaching history in a way that captivates and engages today’s learners poses significant challenges. The emphasis on humanities and social sciences has waned in favour of subjects perceived as more beneficial for employment prospects, such as science, literacy, and numeracy (Sears, 2018). Students often find it difficult to connect with distant historical figures or events, perceiving them as abstract and irrelevant to their own lives. Traditional instructional methods, such as lectures and textbooks, can seem uninspiring, leading to disengagement. Additionally, classrooms are diverse, with varying learning needs and abilities, making it challenging for teachers to differentiate content in ways that resonate with each student. Educators often struggle to create personalized and relevant learning experiences that make history feel alive and meaningful to all students.
To address these challenges effectively, educators can engage frameworks such as Bloom’s Taxonomy (Oregon State University, 2024), which not only promote higher-order thinking skills but also provide a structured approach to designing engaging and differentiated historical learning experiences. Oregon State University released a ‘revisited’ interpretation of Bloom’s Taxonomy that highlights tasks that can be assumed by AI, as well as those that are considered distinctly human skills (see Figure 1 below). By fostering an environment where educators act as facilitators and encourage critical reflection, we can transform history education into a more dynamic and meaningful experience, ultimately supporting the development of high-level cognitive abilities essential for lifelong learning (Al Maani & Shanti, 2023).
Figure 1
Bloom’s Taxonomy Revisited
Note: Oregon State University. (2024). Bloom’s taxonomy revisited v2 [PDF]. https://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/faculty/artificial-intelligence-tools/blooms-taxonomy-revisited-v2-2024.pdf
AI tools like Humy directly address the challenge of engaging students by transforming traditional lessons into interactive experiences. Humy allows students to “interview” AI-generated historical figures, who respond in character and contextually relevant ways (Harry & Sayudin, 2023). For example, when students ask questions to Martin Luther, his AI persona credits his achievements to God, offering responses that reflect the real historical figure’s beliefs and values. This unique interaction encourages students to become active participants in the learning process, driving conversations through thoughtful inquiries. Although artificial, this form of conversation allows students to not only learn about historical events but also gain insights into the experiences of those who lived through them (Taylor, 2003). In this way, Humy promotes deeper understanding and involves higher-order thinking skills than traditional methods. Through interviewing historical figures, Humy allows for personalized learning that promotes critical thinking and results in meaningful, engaging history lessons.
Figure 2
Interviewing Julius Caesar
Note: Derek Bergen (2024) generated this image using the Canva AI Image Generator. CC dedicates any rights it holds to this image to the public domain via CC0.
Humy has been gaining popularity over in history and social studies classrooms the world over. Teachers are able to use a functional free version with a limited number of credits. Additionally, Humy does not require students to log in, making it simple for classroom use.
Note: Derek Bergen (2024) used this screenshot from Humy.AI with permission. Prices are accurate as of October, 2024.
Teacher Tip: to stretch your free credits further, engage with Humy as a whole class instead of allowing each student to ask their own questions. Work together to craft thoughtful and meaningful questions and responses for your Humy.
Learning Objectives
- Understand how to use Humy to engage students with a historical figure through a tailored chatbot.
- Successfully integrate Humy’s historical figures into lessons to enhance student engagement with World History, Social Studies, Literature, and other curricular content content.
- Evaluate the benefits and limitations of using AI-generated interviews for developing students’ critical thinking and inquiry skills.
- Design assignments that encourage students to critically engage with historical perspectives using AI interviews.
Case Study
In the following situations, we will explore practical uses of Humy to show its effectiveness and relevance in meeting curricular areas in the classroom. In each situation, we will analyze the use of the AI in meeting the instructional outcomes and digital media literacy goals, as well as any challenges or limitations that may arise in its implementation, including accessibility issues, the need for teacher training, and the potential impact on student engagement and learning outcomes.
In each interaction with a Humy persona, teachers can make the learning more easily accessible by allowing the Humy to read its response aloud, making the interaction available to readers of all abilities.
Vignette #1 – Conversations with Confederation leaders
Figure 3
Louis Riel speaks to a present-day class of Canadian Social Studies students.
Note: Tasha Fisher (2024) created this image using Canva Magic Studio using the prompt “Louis Riel speaking to Canadian students in 2024. Modern style”
Scenario: A Grade 7 social studies class was studying the impact of Confederation on First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. The teached used Humy to facilitate interviews with historical figures such as Chief Tecumseh, Louis Riel, and Sir John A. MacDonald. Students were divided into groups, with each group preparing questions for their assigned figure. The Louis Riel group focused on his advocacy and Métis rights, while the Chief Tecumseh group explored his resistance to colonial expansion and efforts to protect Indigenous lands. Students conversations typically begin prompts and questions that directly relate to their learning goals and success criteria.
Note: Derek Bergen (2024) used this screenshot from Humy.AI with permission.
Through interactive conversations with AI-generated versions of these figures, students gained a deeper understanding of the historical context, perspectives, and the consequences of Confederation on Indigenous soverignty and culture. Afterwards, conversations witll naturally follow paths of information that peak student curiouisty. It is this personalized, inquiry-based learning that makes Humy such a powerful tool and leads to deeper understandings of these historical figures and contexts.
Instructional Challenge:
In this situation, we identified our primary challenge as low student engagement with historical events, especially those in which students cannot relate to the lifestyles and contexts of the time. Grade 7 students had difficulty connecting with the events and themes of Canadian Confederation, which took place nearly 160 years ago. The instructional goal in this case is to help students understand the events that shaped the creation of Canada while considering the perspectives of both the Indigenous peoples who inhabited the land and the colonial settlers.
Considerations for Teachers
For educators to make the most of the Humy AI tool, it’s important to provide students with accurate background information and encourage discussions about the limitations and benefits of learning from AI-generated responses. Practice in formulating effective prompts will help students obtain more relevant and insightful information during their interactions with Humy. Educators should guide students in comparing the AI responses with primary sources and historical documents, such as analyzing the language of the Métis Bill of Rights to see how well Humy captures Riel’s motivations, fostering strong historical thinking.
Effectiveness
To assess the effectiveness of Humy in meeting curricular goals, teachers can design assignments that encourage students to ask complex, thoughtful questions and demonstrate their historical understanding through inquiry-based learning. Traditional assessment methods like rubrics can be used to evaluate the depth of students’ interactions. Teachers can also customize the Humy interaction format to tailor the responses received to match a particular grade level or learning objective.
Challenges and Constraints
Challenges do exist with the freedom this tool offers. One may question how the AI may handle sensitive topics, such as asking Sir John A MacDonald whether he knew what was truly happening in Canadian residential schools. Concerns over student safety are also relevant as with most generative chatbot AI tools, and as such, incorporating safety behaviours into the teacher’s regular digital and media literacy lessons is imperative.
Vignette #2 – Writing Help from 19th Century Literary Giants
Figure 4
Charles Dickens, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, and Lewis Carroll sit at a writing table.
Note: Tasha Fisher (2024) created this image using Canva Magic Studio using the prompt “create a 1800s style image of authors Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, and Lewis Caroll sitting at a table looking at the camera. They are providing writing advice to a novice, contemporary writer.”
Scenario: A Grade 10 Language Arts class was exploring the literary styles and social issues of the 1800s in preparation for writing a story set in England during that time. The teacher utilized Humy to facilitate virtual consultations with popular novelists from the era, such as Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, and Lewis Carroll. Each student prepared personalized questions tailored to the author they chose to engage with. One student sought advice from Dickens on developing complex characters and vivid settings reflective of Victorian society, while another asked the Brontë sisters about themes of gender and social class in their narratives. A third student consulted Lewis Carroll, inquiring about his whimsical writing style and how to incorporate fantasy elements into their stories.
Note: Derek Bergen (2024) used this screenshot from Humy.AI with permission.
Through these interactive conversations with AI-generated versions of these authors, students gained valuable insights into writing techniques, historical context, and the societal issues that influenced literature during the 1800s.
Below is the advice offered by the Charles Dickens Humy to a student. The AI generated response was able to capture the context and essence of the period and gave personalized advice to a student struggling with imagery and descriptive language:
“Ah, to write a piece set in England during the early 1800s, one must conjure the very soul of that era! Picture the bustling streets of London: a city teeming with contrasts – wealth and poverty, splendor and squalor. Let your scenes be filled with the clamor of horse-drawn carriages on cobblestones, chimney sweeps blackened by soot, and vendors shouting their wares in crowded markets.
Infuse your characters with the essence of Dickensian life – hardworking families struggling for a decent morsel, children toiling in factories or workhouses, and figures from all walks of life converging in this grand theatre. Recall the foggy evenings and gas-lit alleys, where shadows play around every corner, hinting at mysteries both wondrous and grim. Write with compassion for humanity’s plight yet highlight glimmers of hope.
Let me share a personal tale – when I was but a youth working in Warren’s Blacking Warehouse, those dark days among rat-infested corners deeply impressed upon me the resilience needed to survive. Such experiences grant authenticity to your narratives. Go forth; may your quill capture the vivid tapestry of our time!”
Instructional Challenge
Creative writing can be an arduous and cumbersome task for both students and teachers. Timely and specific feedback is imperative to the writing process. This application of the Humy AI technology serves a dual purpose. The students are able to receive tailored, timely, and specific insights and feedback from a figure considered to be an expert in the subject matter, and teachers can redirect their time and efforts to engage with students that require additional learning support in the writing process.
Considerations for Teachers
It may be helpful to ask students to record the feedback and insights they receive from their Humy chat to ensure they are not directly inputting the AI’s language into their own writing. Proper teaching about citing the use of AI and the scope of its use will help deepen AI literacy skills for students.
Effectiveness
Using Humy to support writing can allow teachers to differentiate for the diverse learner profiles in their classroom. Within the prompt screen, teachers can specify the grade level and provide custom instructions. For learners working below grade level, choosing a younger grade in this screen can ensure feedback provided by Humy uses friendlier and more accessible language. This is also beneficial for English Language Learners.
Vignette #3 – Interviewing Pioneers of Electrical Science
Figure 5
Opening a conversation with Nikola Tesla.
Note: Derek Bergen (2024) used this screenshot from Humy.AI with permission.
Scenario: A grade 9 science class was studying electricity and circuits according to the Saskatchewan curriculum. The teacher used Humy to facilitate conversations with Nikola Tesla, Marie Curie, and Michael Faraday to give students insights into the pioneers of electrical science. Students were to prepare questions about their inventions, discoveries and inspiration. In this way, students learned about the way we use electricity, alternating current and radioactivity. Afterwards, students designed and built their own circuits linking what they had learned to a hands-on activity.
Instructional Challenge
Facilitating reflective and faith-based conversations with students can be tricky for even the most experienced teachers. Many people of all ages feel shyness and sometimes shame for not following the Catholic church’s teachings perfectly, and can worry about their chances of going to Heaven. Humy’s AI Jesus allows for open and honest dialogue free from human judgement. Students can ask questions they’ve held close to their hearts, and receive answers that one might expect from a parish priest.
Humy’s Assignment Feature
Humy is currently offering a Beta version of its Assignment feature. Teachers have the opportunity to create their own, or use one of 25 pre-made assignments within the platform. The pre-made assignments are organized by grade level, subject type, and format (open-ended, essay, or interview) and feature detailed instructions and assessment rubrics.
Note: Tasha Fisher (2024) used this screenshot from Humy.AI with permission.
Responsible Use of AI
Teachers should always value critical inquiry over passive consumption of AI-generated information. We have broken down the responsible use of AI into four distinct areas for consideration.
- Bias and Representation – Teachers should be active in monitoring the interviews and address any potential inaccuracies or misrepresentations:
- Are the generated responses accurate representations of the historical figures? Does Humy provide sources for its material?
- Is there an inherent bias in the data or responses? How might this impact students’ understanding of the historical events/figures?
- Consider asking students to copy/paste their full conversations with Humy.ai onto a shareable document for future reference, reflection, and accountability.
- Learner Independence – While students can form questions and engage in inquiry-based learning using Humy, it should be balanced with independent research and more critical analysis.
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- How does the use of Humy’s AI historical figures support or hinder student ownership of their learning?
- How can the Humy’s responses be used as a jump-off point for independent student research
- Ethics – Classes should engage in discussions about the implications of humanizing a historical narrative and the possible ethical concerns with that.
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- Are there ethical issues in recreating historical figures through AI? Can these historical figures consent to their likeness being used in this fashion?
- How can teachers ensure that the representations are respectful and contribute positively to student learning?
- Safety – Students privacy must be carefully protected and AI tools vetted to ensure they do not produce inappropriate content.
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- Is Humy’s account-free model truly anonymous?
- Where is the data from conversations stored?
In exploring our own safety questions, we have discovered a few safeguards in place on the Humy platform.
- Humy will flag student responses that may be considered inappropriate in an attempt to ensure a safe and on-task interaction. When discussing content that may be flagged (such as the topic of death with someone who survived the Black Death) some coaching around rewording the question may be necessary.
- All data from interactions with Humy are stored within Microsoft Azure, “which is considered one of the most secure cloud providers” (Humy.ai, 2024).
- Teachers can have a birds-eye-view of the interactions their students are having with the platform, ensuring full transparency.
Note: Tasha Fisher (2024) used this screenshot from Humy.AI with permission.
Future Research and Innovation
We have identified a few potential avenues for future exploration within the Humy AI platform.
Improved context and accuracy – as AI technology improves, chatbots become increasingly better at synthesizing information efficiently from their database. Humy could use this to cross-reference historical events, offer more accurate context and provide superior responses to students’ inquiries.
Animated discussions with AI – Adding an animated persona to the historical chatbot feature would increase the immersion and engagement of students with their learning. Expanding on this, figures could be depicted in a historical representation of their home, significant site, contextual society or other relevant settings. All of these potential additions would deepen the understanding that students can get from this experience. It could simulate the difference between interviewing someone in their culture, rather than over text.
Group Discussions – With the rapid advancement of AI tools, we would like to see the option for group conversations with multiple historical figures represented. Students could interview them in groups and even hold debates to hear two sides of a historical event in one conversation. This would allow students to practice exploring differing viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences within one event, such as how peasants and nobility in 14th century England may have experienced the Black Death differently.
Expanding the Humy Historical Figures – Undoubtedly, Humy will continue expanding their offering of historical figures. The AI tool already comes equipped with a “create your own Humy” feature should teachers wish to utilize a figure not already included.
Summary
Check out our video recap of the Humy platform:
https://ai.invideo.io/watch/P-Nil-mFxSC
Acknowledgements
We wish to express our deepest gratitude to Stas Shakirov and Martin Balodis, the co-founders of the Humy platform. They graciously granted us extended access to Humy’s features as well as permission to include screenshots of the platform in our textbook chapter.
We also acknowledge the use of various artificial intelligence tools in the making of this review of Humy:
- ChatGPT was used to synthesize some wording for several sections of the Case Study and was utilized to suggest a title that referenced the essence of our inquiry. (September 21, 2024).
- Images were created using Canva Magic Studio and ChatGPT, as specified.
- InVideo was used to create our vivid and engaging summary video (November, 2024).
Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)
Bergen, Derek. https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7579-5672
Fisher, Tasha. https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4965-3392
Tasha Fisher is pursuing a Master in Educational Technology and Design from the University of Saskatchewan. As a junior high social studies and math teacher from Alberta, she enjoys dividing her time between pursuing lifelong learning and spending time with her husband and son.
Derek Bergen is pursuing his Masters in Educational Technology and Design. He is a Highschool teacher for numerous subject areas and has a passion for inspiring curiosity in others.
References
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Harry, A., & Sayudin, S. (2023). Role of AI in education. Interdisciplinary Journal and Humanity (INJURITY), 2(3), 260–268. https://doi.org/10.58631/injurity.v2i3.52
Humy. (2024). Security. Humy. https://www.humy.ai/security
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (October 2024 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/
Oregon State University. (2024). Bloom’s taxonomy revisited v2 [PDF]. https://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/faculty/artificial-intelligence-tools/blooms-taxonomy-revisited-v2-2024.pdf
Sears, A. (2018). Teaching history, teaching complexity. Agora (Melbourne, Vic.), 53(3), 36–39. http://cyber.usask.ca/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/teaching-history-complexity/docview/2599126586/se-2?accountid=14739
Taylor, T. (2003). Historical simulations and the future of the historical narrative [1]. Journal of the Association for History and Computing, 6(2). http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.3310410.0006.203
