Amateur and dangerous': Historians weigh in on viral AI history videos

streets of London during the Black Death in the 1300s - complete with realistic sights, sounds and daily strugglesIn recent weeks, AI-generatIn recent weeks, AI-generated videos showing the points of view of people waking up in different historical time periods have gone viral on TikTok.

Dan and Hogne are the creators behind two of the accounts - POV Lab and Time Traveller POV.Dan, based in the UK, tells the BBC he creates these videos as the "idea of seeing the past through a first-person perspective felt like a unique way to bring history to life".

Hogne, a 27-year-old from Norway, adds that his videos are teaching people "about cool parts of history and helping them learn something new".

Despite the videos offering millions a window into history, a number of historians have shared concerns about the accuracy of the content and whether AI can truly resurrect the past, or are we just seeing a polished, modernised version of history designed for engagement?Murky and misty streets, coughing townsfolk, and the distant toll of a plague doctor's bell all feature in Hogne's most-watched video, which has racked up 53 million views.

It has sparked fascination among many, but historian Dr Amy Boyington describes the medieval-themed video as "amateurish" and "evocative and sensational" rather than historically accurate.

"It looks like something from a video game as it shows a world that is meant to look real but is actually fake.She points out inaccuracies like the depiction of houses with large glazed windows and a train track running through the town which wouldn't have existed in the 1300s.Historian and archaeologist Dr Hannah Platts has also noticed significant inaccuracies in a video depicting the eruption of Mount Vesuvius at Pompeii.

"Due to Pliny the Younger's eyewitness account of the eruption, we know that it didn't start with lava spewing everywhere so to not use that wealth of historical information available to us feels cheap and lazy."'Amateur and dangerous': Hist

timetravellerpov AI generated image of sick woman on the left and roman structure being covered in lava on the righttimetravellerpovAI-generated videos of the black plague and the eruption of Vesuvius have been going viral on TikTok

Imagine waking up in Rome 2,000 years ago, on the Nile in ancient Egypt or on the streets of London during the Black Death in the 1300s - complete with realistic sights, sounds and daily struggles.

In recent weeks, AI-generated videos showing the points of view of people waking up in different historical time periods have gone viral on TikTok.Dan and Hogne are the creators behind two of the accounts - POV Lab and Time Traveller POV

Dan, based in the UK, tells the BBC he creates these videos as the "idea of seeing the past through a first-person perspective felt like a unique way to bring history to life"Hogne, a 27-year-old from Norway, adds that his videos are teaching people "about cool parts of history and helping them learn something new".

Despite the videos offering millions a window into history, a number of historians have shared concerns about the accuracy of the content and whether AI can truly resurrect the past, This article contains content provided by TikTok. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read TikTok’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this crky and misty streets, coughing townsfolk, and the distant toll of a plague doctor's bell all feature in Hogne's most-watched video, which has racked up 53 million views.

It has sparked fascination among many, but historian Dr Amy Boyington describes the medieval-themed video as "amateurish" and "evocative and sensational" rather than historically accurate.It looks like something from a video game as it shows a world that is meant to look real but is actually fake."

She points out inaccuracies like the depiction of houses with large glazed windows and a train track running through the town which wouldn't have existed in the 1300s.Historian and archaeologist Dr Hannah Platts has also noticed significant inaccuracies in a video depicting the eruption of Mount Vesuvius at Pompeii.

"Due to Pliny the Younger's eyewitness account of the eruption, we know that it didn't start with lava spewing everywhere so to not use that wealth of historical information available to us feels cheap and lazy.Allow TikTok content?This article contains content provided by TikTok. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read TikTok’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.Accept and continue

She also spots smaller mistakes - stemmed wine glasses and pepper mills didn't exist and people would be reclining while eating not sitting on dining chairs.

"The bread roll in the video is a modern loaf and given we actually have carbonised loaves from the time it's a real shame the person making the video didn't do some research and include that."Dan, who created the video of Pompeii, says he recognises a lots of details in his videos are historically inaccurate.

"AI-generated content isn't perfect, and while I strive for accuracy, these videos are more about evoking the feeling of a time period rather than being a 100% factual recreation.