AI Depiction of Women’s Suffrage Stephen Helms October 2025
One of our contributors, Stephen Helms, has helped with improving a number of photographs for the website of Box People and Places. One or two have proved very useful in enabling some readers to recognise the people shown and subsequently to follow their own research.
Stephen was the webmaster of the Twinning website between Box and Sorigny, a town in the area of Tours in France, and he re-published parts of our Box People & Places Issues. When we asked if he could kindly assist with one of the photographs about the Box Suffragettes his interest was aroused and he read the article and did some further research on the subject. Because of his previous experience in technical writing, IT Help systems, and websites career, he had become an adherent to improving illustrations as well as producing short training videos. Not surprisingly, despite his retirement 10 years ago his interests remain and the powers and problems of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to further improve communications.
He then set about creating a video using some of the information in the Sufraggette article and integrating some use of AI into the technology he already has used for improving photos making short videos. He has used AI to recreate historical figures in their own image and voices based on still photos of those recorded in our last issue. It is remarkable to see a reconstruction of the Pilgrimage for Women’s Suffrage marching through Box and Emmeline Pankhurst’s actual speech about “Freedom or Death” in the United States in 1913. Has provided a short video which you can access in the headlibne image.
Stephen was the webmaster of the Twinning website between Box and Sorigny, a town in the area of Tours in France, and he re-published parts of our Box People & Places Issues. When we asked if he could kindly assist with one of the photographs about the Box Suffragettes his interest was aroused and he read the article and did some further research on the subject. Because of his previous experience in technical writing, IT Help systems, and websites career, he had become an adherent to improving illustrations as well as producing short training videos. Not surprisingly, despite his retirement 10 years ago his interests remain and the powers and problems of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to further improve communications.
He then set about creating a video using some of the information in the Sufraggette article and integrating some use of AI into the technology he already has used for improving photos making short videos. He has used AI to recreate historical figures in their own image and voices based on still photos of those recorded in our last issue. It is remarkable to see a reconstruction of the Pilgrimage for Women’s Suffrage marching through Box and Emmeline Pankhurst’s actual speech about “Freedom or Death” in the United States in 1913. Has provided a short video which you can access in the headlibne image.
Use of AI in Historical Context
The subject of AI is now much debated between supporters (quoting medical usage) and opponents (citing disinformation and misrepresentation of current themes). There are similarities between the use of AI and historical fiction, a long-established genre.
When Hilary Mantel wrote “Wolf Hall”, she received universal acclaim in making a difficult period of Tudor history accessible to a wider audience. Her work of fiction concentrated on the politics in the court of Henry VIII, rather than the deaths of his wives. Even more than that, in the sequel “Bring up the Bodies”, she reinterpreted the role of Thomas Cromwell and showed a man of faith with conflicting personal and official loyalties. It brought the old historical image of Cromwell as a political arch schemer to greater depth as a real person.
The most insidious book of historical fiction is probably “Mein Kampf”, Hitler’s reinterpretation of early twentieth century German history and the causes of its ills to suit his own warped racist views. Its consequences were devastating.
The use of digital technology to re-enact past happenings has been a more acceptable development. The ABBA Voyage experience depicting the singers in their younger image and relaying their recorded voices forty years after the event. It recalled the band members in their prime and brought the past back to life for their audience.
Clearly, there are concerns about AI and we all need to maintain scrutiny on the use of it, to ensure that we respect our duty to provide accurate and unbiased news.
The subject of AI is now much debated between supporters (quoting medical usage) and opponents (citing disinformation and misrepresentation of current themes). There are similarities between the use of AI and historical fiction, a long-established genre.
When Hilary Mantel wrote “Wolf Hall”, she received universal acclaim in making a difficult period of Tudor history accessible to a wider audience. Her work of fiction concentrated on the politics in the court of Henry VIII, rather than the deaths of his wives. Even more than that, in the sequel “Bring up the Bodies”, she reinterpreted the role of Thomas Cromwell and showed a man of faith with conflicting personal and official loyalties. It brought the old historical image of Cromwell as a political arch schemer to greater depth as a real person.
The most insidious book of historical fiction is probably “Mein Kampf”, Hitler’s reinterpretation of early twentieth century German history and the causes of its ills to suit his own warped racist views. Its consequences were devastating.
The use of digital technology to re-enact past happenings has been a more acceptable development. The ABBA Voyage experience depicting the singers in their younger image and relaying their recorded voices forty years after the event. It recalled the band members in their prime and brought the past back to life for their audience.
Clearly, there are concerns about AI and we all need to maintain scrutiny on the use of it, to ensure that we respect our duty to provide accurate and unbiased news.