“Inge, tell me about the concentration camps”: With the help of artificial intelligence, a Holocaust survivor answers questions and reflects on the trials of her life in an educational dialogue.
On the screen, Inge Auerbacher calmly recalls the meaning of the yellow star that was sewn onto her coat at the time on the night of her deportation, her crossing by boat to the United States after the war.
In the background, on the multidimensional screen, we see burning buildings, exploding shop windows: it is Kristallnacht, a series of pogroms that took place in Germany on November 9-10, 1938 against the Jews.
The conversation takes place via a virtual reality headset or a smartphone.
The idea is to use artificial intelligence to “give young people the opportunity to meet a Holocaust survivor in person,” Stephen Smith, director of Storyfile, the Los Angeles-based company, told AFP. Angeles, which developed this video chat technology.
Inge Auerbacher, 88, came to Berlin this week from New York, where she lives, to present this educational tool.
“This technology exists and it must be used. History is alive: we must not forget what happened,” she says.
On the lapel of his jacket was a brooch in the shape of a butterfly. This American of German origin, deported to the Nazi camp Theresienstadt (Czech Republic) at the age of 7, made it a symbol commemorating the 1.5 million Jewish children who died in the death camps of the Czech Republic during World War II Nazis were killed.
60 questions
Testimony is the struggle of her life: This woman with short black hair has written six books and documentaries tracing her journey to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive.
In her opinion, artificial intelligence opens up new possibilities: “With a book, you have to visualize the environment in your head, but with this technology you can see it with your own eyes.” »
This tool comes at a time when the last survivors of the Shoah are disappearing, raising questions about the passing of memory.
For the development of this animation, Inge Auerbacher answered more than 60 questions in German and English. A two day interview.
When a user asks a question containing one of the keywords displayed on the screen, the system jumps to that section of the interview and Inge “answers”, creating the effect of an immersive one-to-one conversation.
The use of this advanced technology is linked to the resurgence of anti-Semitism that has worried German authorities for several years.
The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, has multiplied calls to step up the fight against the spread of far-right ideas, represented in the Bundestag by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party since 2017.
“Thanks to virtual reality, we are able to convey history with great empathy and sensitivity,” observes Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight Against Anti-Semitism.
“Just the Beginning”
The experience, titled “Sag mir, Inge…” was presented by StoryFile in collaboration with digital giant Meta, which organized the event at its Berlin premises.
A way for the group to “reach as many people as possible” and “make them aware of the Holocaust, whether they know that part of the story or not,” according to Julia Reuss, director of public policy in Europe Meta.
She says this is “just the beginning” and that “documentation centers” in particular are interested in the technology.
A second virtual reality project for museums is underway, says the head of StoryFile, who was also director of the USC Shoah Foundation for 12 years, which works to educate people about the history of the Shoah.
When asked how she felt when she saw her own image in the virtual reality glasses, Inge Auerbacher replied with a burst of laughter: “I said to myself, ‘How do I look? Young!'” I was happy”.