Engaging with climate change through intelligent characters in historic scenes

This presentation was given by Alan Miller at EAA 2024 during CARARE's session "Making Connections: Towards Archaeological Narratives in Contemporary Society".

Climate change poses a direct threat to many archaeological sites through coastal erosion and extreme weather. Yet recognition of the value of sites and engagement with their heritage poses the possibility of archaeology becoming a mover in motivating the behaviour required to mitigate against climate change.
Digital reconstruction of archaeological sites poses the possibility of holistic representation of natural and cultural, tangible and intangible, moveable and immovable heritage within immersive environments developed within game engines. The capability of modern computers and graphics cards offer the possibility of large environments modelling artefacts, flora, fauna and people together with animations and interactions. In this presentation we will report on and discuss the development of authentic characters, based upon archaeological evidence, and their situation within historic scenes.
Further we will discuss the ways that large language models can be used to develop natural language, within the context of informed interactions with historic scenes that will enable interrogation of their relevance to climate past, present and futures, enable personalised and factually correct engagement with the heritage.
Though adding characters and natural language interactions to engagement with archaeology, we aim to increase understanding of the past and influence behaviour for the future.

1. ENGAGING WITH ClIMATECHANGE
THROUGH INTELLIGENT CHARACTERS IN
HISTORIC SCENES
Alan Miller -Alice Chapman -Junyu Zhang -Catherine Anne
Cassidy -Iain Oliver -Maria Andrei -Sharon Pisani –Victor Yuan,
Sarah Kennedy -Peryn Westerhoff-Nyman -Siqi Liu )

2. Abstract
Climate change poses a direct threat to many archaeological sites through coastal erosion and extreme
weather. Yet recognition of the value of sites and engagement with their heritage poses the possibility of
archaeology becoming a mover in motivating the behaviour required to mitigate against climate change.
Digital reconstruction of archaeological sites poses the possibility of holistic representation of natural and
cultural, tangible and intangible, moveable and immovable heritage within immersive environments developed
within game engines. The capability of modern computers and graphics cards offer the possibility of large
environments modelling artefacts, flora, fauna and people together with animations and interactions.
In this presentation we will report on and discuss the development of authentic characters, based upon
archaeological evidence, and their situation within historic scenes.
Further we will discuss the ways that large language models can be used to develop natural language, within
the context of informed interactions with historic scenes that will enable interrogation of their relevance to
climate past, present and futures, enable personalised and factually correct engagement with the heritage.
Though adding characters and natural language interactions to engagement with archaeology, we aim to
increase understanding of the past and influence behaviour for the future.

4. •Climate Change
•Impact on heritage
•Psychological distance
•Immersive learning
•Making large language models relevant
•Interacting with Intelligent characters
Outline

8. •Climate Change
•Impact on heritage
•Psychological distance
•Immersive learning
•Making large language models relevant
•Interacting with Intelligent characters
Outline

9. European
Commission
•Ten recommendations on Protecting Cultural Heritage from
Climate Change
“The information gathered by a group of experts is alarming, as
climate change is directly and indirectly threatening all forms of
cultural heritage, among others through severe precipitation, long
heatwaves, droughts, strong winds and sea-level rise –all of
which are expected to increase in the future.”
•https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_53
53

11. •Climate Change
•Impact on heritage
•Psychological distance
•Immersive learning
•Making large language models relevant
•Interacting with Intelligent characters
Outline

12. It is widely assumed
thatpsychological distance
(PD) is a major barrier to
climate action: many people
are not motivated to act
because they perceive climate
change as affecting only
remote locations in the far
future.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.
2020.568899/full
showed that more
pro-environmental
and resilient
behaviours are
engaged through
lower levels of
psychological
distance
The Psychological
Distance and
Climate Change

13. •Climate Change
•Impact on heritage
•Psychological distance
•Immersive learning
•Making large language models relevant
•Interacting with Intelligent characters
Outline

14. Experiential learning

15. Historic Scenes
Brora Saltpans

16. Virtual Dive Experience – Berwickshire marine
reserve

17. Remote Historic Scene – St Kilda

18. Exploring the Ant Arctic

19. •Skriduklauster
Installation

20. •Climate Change
•Impact on heritage
•Psychological distance
•Immersive learning
•Making large language models relevant
•Interacting with Intelligent characters
Outline

23. Intelligent Characters
through large language
models

24. Some
Evaluation

26. •Climate Change
•Impact on heritage
•Psychological distance
•Immersive learning
•Making large language models relevant
•Interacting with Intelligent characters
Outline

27. Making it real

28. Request Eleven Labs API Blueprint Screen shot

32. •Climate Change
•Impact on heritage
•Psychological distance
•Immersive learning
•Making large language models relevant
•Interacting with Intelligent characters
Summary