28.01.2025

Opportunities of deepfakes in historical-political education

Maria Pawelec in an interview with Deutschlandfunk

On the occasion of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of National Socialism on 27 January, Maria Pawelec talks to Deutschlandfunk about the potential (and dangers) of deepfakes for historical-political education and for Jewish memory culture, in particular.

Deepfakes can e.g., be used to make the teaching of historical events immersive or interactive. They can evoke strong emotions, spark enthusiasm for history and reach new target groups. At the same time, there is a risk that historical events will be presented in a shortened or one-sided way, that viewers will experience very strong emotions and no longer be able to reflect critically on what they have seen. It is therefore important to clearly label deepfakes with an educational intention and to critically contextualise them.

The interview can be found here: https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/campus-und-karriere-27-1-2025-komplette-sendung-100.html
(Deutschlandfunk ‘Campus & Karriere', 27 January 2025).