Date
Publisher
arXiv
Learners often perceive history as distant from themselves, which limits immersion and empathy in history learning. To bridge this gap, we introduce the "Ancestral Digital Self," an AI-generated pedagogical agent presented in prerecorded videos that mirrors the learner's facial features and vocal timbre, representing a historically situated version of the self. We developed a reproducible workflow for creating AI-generated historical learning videos and conducted a within-subjects study (N=36) comparing a Digital Self agent with a non-self pedagogical agent. The Digital Self agent enhanced experiential measures, including narrative transportation, perceived relatedness, self-other inclusion, and agent perception. However, it did not improve immediate learning outcomes: quiz scores were lower in the Digital Self condition, and Remember/Know judgments showed no reliable differences. Interviews further suggested that self-similarity increased familiarity and motivation, while novelty and uncanniness could draw attention away from historical content. These findings offer design implications for future educational environments supported by pedagogical agents.
Study at a glance
- Question: How does learning from an AI character that looks and sounds like the student affect history learning?
- Setting and data: 36 learners; specific setting not stated in the abstract.
- Method: Experiment comparing a self-resembling AI agent with a standard agent (within-subjects study), plus interviews.
Why it matters
Learners often perceive history as distant from themselves, which limits immersion and empathy in history learning.
Key findings
- In a history study with 36 participants, an AI agent mirroring learners' features and voices resulted in lower quiz scores than a standard agent.
- The self-mirroring AI agent enhanced learners' narrative immersion, sense of personal connection, and overall perception of the teaching agent.
- Interviews suggested that seeing oneself boosted familiarity and motivation, but the agent's novelty and uncanniness distracted learners from historical content.
Summary drafted with AI from the paper’s abstract and may contain errors. See the full paper for details.
What is the application?
Who is the user?
Who age?
Why use AI?
Study design
