Contribution short abstract:

This paper explores emotional implications of virtual witnessing and how using AI transforms it. Examining interactions with virtual witnesses and the affective atmospheres created, the paper offers insights on the entanglement of institutions, technology and political discourse in Holocaust memory.

Contribution long abstract:

As the last Holocaust survivors pass away, memory institutions face the challenge of preserving a significant component of Holocaust commemoration, and a personal and emotional access to history. The USC Shoah Foundation’s project Dimensions in Testimony addresses this through AI-based virtual representations of survivors, enabling interactive encounters with their testimonies. These representations, created via an extensive interview and production process, are showcased in exhibitions like “Just Ask!” in Frankfurt, Germany, which forms the basis of this ethnographic research.

Ethnographic fieldwork on the experiences of visitors and the dynamics of engagement with the technology shows how established practices and narratives are both upheld and challenged during the interactions with the virtual witnesses. On one hand, the museum setting and staff’s guidance structure an emotional environment for engaging with the testimonies. On the other, the use of technology introduces moments of friction and creates spaces for discussions and reflections about the interactions that give way to transformed emotional practices. While such discussions often revolve around the functionality and implementation of technology in the context of commemoration, they also point to tensions and disputes that are rooted in current political debates about memory culture. The ethnographic data shows how the role of Holocaust survivors is being redefined, fostering new forms of engagement and affective resonance and ultimately transforming practices of virtual witnessing.