Interactive StoryFile Project

Preserving First-Person Accounts of the Japanese American Experiences During WWII with Interactive Storytelling Using Artificial Intelligence

The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF) is excited to share the Interactive StoryFile Project, a pioneering initiative designed to capture, preserve, and promote the first-person stories of Japanese Americans during World War II using advanced AI technology. In partnership with StoryFile, Japanese American Stories, and the Japanese American National Museum, the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation is creating a series of three AI-powered StoryFiles of three different perspectives and experiences of WW2, making these narratives accessible across generations and geography. By employing artificial intelligence, the project creates an immersive, conversational environment, allowing users to ask original, non-scripted questions to engage in a dialogue with these survivors and witnesses, fostering a deeper understanding and empathy for their experiences.

**Mary Murakami**, who was a teen during the war and survived the Topaz incarceration , completed filming of her StoryFile in August 2022 and provided insights into her life as a woman whose youth was disrupted by the incarceration, and her journey thereafte

Takashi Hoshizaki completed filming his StoryFile in May 2022, with the additional support of the Hoshizaki Family Endowment Fund and the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation. During his interview, he recounted his teenage years interned at the Pomona Assembly Center and Heart Mountain, followed by his principled draft resistance.

George Takei recorded his multifaceted experience in October 2023, shedding light on his experience being incarcerated at Rohwer and Tule Lake during WWII, his trailblazing acting career, and his LGBTQ+ activism.

These three stories augment the original StoryFile of Lawson Iichiro Sakai, a veteran of the 44nd Regimental Combat Team who participated in the rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in France and whose courage and heroism earned him numerous medals including four Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, a Combat Infantryman Badge, and the French Legion of Honor, among others. The Storyfile of Lawson Iichiro Sakai is currently on view at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.

The project represents a significant step forward in educational technology, offering an innovative approach to historical education. By integrating AI into learning environments, the initiative aims to bring history to life, allowing students and museum visitors alike to engage in meaningful conversations with former incarcerees. This interactive approach to preserving and sharing history promises to enrich our collective understanding of the Japanese American experience during World War II, making it an invaluable resource for all generations.

The interactive project is set up to be installed in museum exhibits, for educational use in classrooms across the country, and in presentations at conferences and trainings, leveraging the internet to facilitate AI-driven discussions and learning opportunities. The Japanese American National Museum, which has piloted, tested, and trained these conversational tools, plans to display the AI as part of their permanent core exhibit.