Their voices had long been lost, and their faces remained trapped in old photographs, but artificial intelligence (AI) has begun to break those boundaries. The voice of martyr Yun Bong-gil is heard once again, and the gaze of martyr Yu Gwan-sun comes alive.
The restoration that began with a single black-and-white photograph has advanced beyond simple color correction and sharpening, reaching a level where deep learning–based image restoration technology can reproduce the fine details of facial expressions and the texture of the skin.
AI has also been used to create “AI voices” by analyzing the short speech records and handwritten materials of the deceased, learning sentence construction patterns, emotional tones, and speech habits to recreate each individual’s unique intonation and sentiment.
In particular, with the use of GPT-based conversational AI models, content has emerged that allows people to actually “converse” with restored independence activists, earning praise for enabling audiences to experience independence history vividly, beyond the written word.
In this way, AI has evolved beyond being a mere tool for record-keeping to become a medium for restoring memories. We have entered an era in which we can meet and converse with the people of that day as if in real life, experiencing history firsthand.
In connection with this, both public and private sectors have opened offline exhibitions utilizing AI.
In February this year, Acryl Inc., an artificial intelligence company, opened a Digital Human Exhibition Hall at the Independence Hall of Korea to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Liberation, vividly restoring independence activists through AI technology.
Visitors to the exhibition can interact with the restored patriotic figures through AI kiosks—engaging in conversations, answering quizzes, and even taking photos with the digital humans.
The exhibition has been praised not merely as a visual attraction but as an educational space that allows future generations to reflect on the values of the independence movement and develop historical awareness.
Acryl stated, “Through this exhibition, we hope that future generations will remember the noble spirit of sacrifice of independence activists and be reminded of the importance of history. We will continue to strive to create social value in more diverse fields by utilizing AI technology.”
Such examples from various institutions and companies demonstrate that AI technology is establishing itself as a new medium that both sheds light on the lives and spirit of independence activists and conveys memories while evoking historical sensitivity.
In particular, there is a view that such experiences are effective in reducing the sense of distance from history among younger generations, encouraging voluntary interest and understanding.
Accordingly, expectations are high that AI technology will continue to contribute in various ways to delivering historical value and social significance in the future.
Source: Today Korea – “[Rediscovering Liberation (Part 1)] Independence Activists Revived by AI, Connecting the Past and the Present”
https://www.todaykorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=332048