How AI is helping to bring forgotten Black history to life

The upcoming documentary "Declarations" is taking a fresh approach to telling history by using AI to animate portraits of four Black Americans from the Revolutionary War era. Instead of relying on the usual old paintings or photos—which often show Black figures as background characters or stereotypes—the filmmakers worked with an artist who first painted accurate historical portraits. They then used AI tools to gently bring those static images to life through subtle animations. This method aims to give these long-overlooked individuals a presence they never had in traditional history books. The story focuses on James Lafayette, Harry Washington, Elizabeth Freeman, and Abraham Peyton Skipwith—their struggles for freedom during America’s fight for independence are often left out of the big national narrative. By animating their portraits, the film tries to give them more than just a mention in history—they get to feel like real people with their own goals and voices. The filmmakers argue that most movies about early American Black history rely too much on archives, which are often incomplete or biased. AI here becomes a tool not just for visual effects, but for correcting an old problem in storytelling.The process involved careful steps. An artist first created oil paintings based on real historical records—no guesswork or caricatures. Then, AI was used to animate these portraits while keeping the artist’s unique style intact. The team didn’t just let the AI run wild; they worked with historians to make sure everything stayed accurate and respectful. This blend of art, technology, and research offers a new way to see history—not as a distant textbook, but as something alive and real. But the use of AI also raises questions. Can technology truly “give agency” to people who lived centuries ago? Or does it risk reshaping their identities to fit modern expectations? The filmmakers insist they kept the human touch at the center, using AI only as a brush, not the painter. Still, this experiment challenges how we usually tell history. Most documentaries about the past depend on what’s left behind—photos, letters, or objects. But what if those things never existed? This film tries to fill gaps not with speculation, but with thoughtful art and careful use of new tools.