The materials listed below have helped tremendously as I’ve worked on my final project. They’ve challenged my preconceived notions on AI usage and storytelling.<\/p>\n
I’ve found that it can be difficult to navigate conversations about implementing AI without acknowledging the environment. Given my understanding of AI, I couldn’t envision how AI tools could be implemented in the archive to make a real difference. However, module 7 on AI and Public History turned some of my beliefs on their head and highlighted how AI can be used more ethically. Over the course of this semester, in the archives and my courses, transcribing has been one of the more time-consuming tasks on my to-do list. Cameron Blevins’ “A Large Language Model Walks Into an Archive…” highlights how AI can be one’s saving grace in the eleventh hour of transcription. Transcription is a tedious process that slows archiving and, consequently, impedes the archivist’s ability to provide access to users. Now, I believe the same holds true for building an online exhibit. It can be frustrating when you think you’ve found a source that would fit your exhibit, but the text is hard to make out, and the lack of a transcription renders the source unusable. I encountered that exact issue during my research, and it inspired me to test ChatGPT. Upon receiving the document’s transcription, I realized it was not well-suited to my project; nonetheless, I understood the utility of AI for an archivist.<\/p>\n
Alex Houston’s “Bringing hidden histories to light” also highlights the need to recognize the environmental damage caused by maintaining AI systems. I valued this viewpoint on AI and the importance of using it responsibly. Houston explores how Emilie Hardman, as an archivist and curator, integrates AI into certain aspects of her work while still emphasizing the importance of human judgment.<\/p>\n
Three materials from separate modules worked together to shape my thoughts on storytelling. Victoria Cosgrove’s “Beyond the Screen” made me rethink the distinction between viewing and participating, and how I can be mindful of that when creating an online exhibit as my prototype for the Black Historian Network. Initially, I was going to create two articles as my site’s prototype. However, I reflected on how the users will participate on the website beyond a research level. I want BHN to be research-focused while also encouraging collaboration within the community, and that wasn’t something my draft could implement at that point. I want to include a timeline on the site, but I haven’t determined how to make it interactive. The OutHistory website and its approach to shared authority inspired me to consider creating an interactive timeline in the future. Similarly, Cosgrove’s exploration of how to use technology to shape the visitor experience gave me the much-needed push to rethink the format of my project.<\/p>\n
Gimlet Academy and Ira Glass were tough for me to listen to and internalize their advice. Ira Glass’ video made me rethink a digital storytelling video I’ve done in the past, which has greatly influenced the direction of this project. Glass’ insistence that it takes time to hone one’s storytelling ability and not to give up when you’re just finding your way. Gimlet Academy’s “Great Pitches Make Great Episodes” made me realize that I hadn’t thought about my “so what.” I was basing my project on what I knew instead of choosing a topic and considering the “why” that would drive\u00a0<\/em>it. That module was the final nail in the coffin of my decision to focus on Blaxploitation and narrow this prototype. Narrowing my focus allowed me time to create a story about Blaxploitation and the community at large.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The materials listed below have helped tremendously as I’ve worked on my final project. They’ve challenged my preconceived notions on AI usage and storytelling. I’ve found that it can be difficult to navigate conversations about implementing AI without acknowledging the environment. Given my understanding of AI, I couldn’t envision how AI tools could be implemented…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149,"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148\/revisions\/149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chancejimenez.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}