A recently launched AI company based in Whatley, Massachusetts, wants to use this technology to make history education more interactive. This year, they became the official programming partner for America’s 250th anniversary celebration.
The company is called Virtual WayBack and is a small, local company founded in 2024. It uses artificial intelligence to create digital replicas of historical figures that can be spoken to in real time through the company’s website. The group was founded by Jonathan Edwards, a former Whateley selectman and one-time candidate for lieutenant governor. He said he was inspired during conversations with friends who teach middle school history.
“They travel to Washington, D.C. every year,” Edwards explained. “I said, ‘Oh, I’m curious, what’s the best part about this trip in the eyes of the students?’ They said, ‘Oh…we’re going to take a bus over there.'”
Mr Edwards said this set the wheels turning to make history education more exciting.
“Oh! That’s when I realized,” he said. “We are teaching 21st century students 20th century technology.
That was the impetus for Virtual Wayback. Edwards previously led a local cybersecurity company, and through his connections in the technology industry, he came to the conclusion that historical figures in AI were the best way to capture the attention of history students.
“Now, if you want, we can send instructional helpers to teachers with pedagogy,” Edwards said. “And when it comes to tourism, it can capture the imagination of people like you and me.
Edwards envisions eventually using augmented reality technology in conjunction with artificial intelligence at certain historic sites. This will allow tourists to view these ruins as they were originally created and have conversations with AI versions of people from that time and place. For now, though, it’s all still in the proof-of-concept stage.
Earlier this year, the company announced a partnership with America250, a semi-public nonprofit organization that plans events across the United States for the nation’s 55th anniversary. The partnership is primarily for branding purposes, and although Virtual Wayback receives no funding from the group, it is rolling out new content as a programming partner under the America 250 umbrella.
“At America 250, I approached them and said, ‘Well, what you’re doing is great, but why don’t you give people a chance to have a conversation with the people who shaped this country?'” Edwards said.
Using AI to create digital copies of real people raises some questions about how real the AI replicas actually are. Brendan Gillis is director of teaching and learning at the American Historical Association, which published guidelines on AI in history education last summer. He said the technology could do great things, but we needed to be careful not to give students the wrong information.
“It’s very simple,” Gillis explained. “If we are not careful with the source material that we input into these AI engines, errors and mistakes can occur and disrupt student learning.”
“If you’re not very careful with the source material that you feed into these AI engines, it’s very easy for errors and mistakes to occur and impede student learning.” — Brendan Gillis, American Historical Association,
Gillis pointed out that an exhibit at the Founders Museum in Washington, D.C., last year also featured AI replicas of historical figures. It was produced by the conservative media group PragerU and featured several significant anachronisms, including AI John Adams referring to right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro. Gillis emphasizes that the people who created the digital figures live in modern times, and the AI algorithms that generate these digital figures are rooted in modern sensibilities.
“You know the AI-generated Thomas Jefferson always has a little bit of a 2026 vibe,” Gillis said. “And figuring out how to control that and help students understand where that impact is can be an interesting educational exercise.”
Edwards agreed that AI is not perfect and emphasized that Virtual WayBack uses strong guardrails and relevant datasets to keep the digital numbers focused on history. He said that while there are no shortage of negative outcomes that can be exacerbated by certain uses of AI, it is important to pursue a vision of technology that can help people and foster excitement about things like history education.
“The good thing is that people recognize the bad, the bad, that AI brings, but they also recognize the good,” Edwards said. “But if you’re going to highlight the negatives, you want to build the right usage scenarios around the positives. And if AI can increase awareness of history, increase excitement about tourism, increase excitement and build dialogue about what was where, when, and who said what, that’s great.”
He has big dreams for this project. For example, working with local historical societies to create customized AI replicas for them. If successful, he said, the company could sell contracts to educators and tourism officials who want to use the technology for specific programs or curricula, making it an economic engine for western Massachusetts.
