Using Generative AI in Historical Practice

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Authors: Yaniv Fox
Cited by: 4
References: 59

Abstract

'Using Generative AI in Historical Practice' argues that generative models are reshaping historical scholarship. Rejecting medium - and long -term speculation, it focuses on near-term practice: how historians can use AI now to augment their research through context-aware dialogue, semantic search, network visualization, multimodal source analysis, and code-assisted workflows. It details methods for context management, task design, and response structure, while warning against cognitive offloading and model bias. While it offers a variety of novel methodologies, the book insists on the indispensability of human agency and taste. Case studies range from Augustine of Hippo to early cinematography, demonstrating the possibilities and limits of generative AI. It concludes with a call to historians to engage with the technology critically and productively, reimagining AI-assisted scholarship without surrendering disciplinary standards and aims.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Digital Humanities and Scholarship Computational and Text Analysis Methods Cybernetics and Technology in Society

Publication details

Journal / source
Cambridge University Press eBooks
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publication date
4 May 2026
Document type
Book