On Thursday, the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles unveiled some groundbreaking technology that will allow visitors to have conversations with Star Trek actor George Takei long after he is gone.
The new technology, called Storyfile, allows visitors to walk up to a life-sized video screen inside the museum and have a conversation with an image of Takei and other concentration camp survivors about their stories.
Takei introduced the technology on Thursday.
“This opportunity that we were given by Cole Kawana, it is really for me, an overwhelming opportunity to keep on keeping on beyond today in this form,” Takei told the crowd.
Kawana is the chief innovation officer of Authentic Interactions, the parent company of Storyfile.
“What we are in essence doing is using technology to capture that voice and those stories, and very importantly, it'll never hallucinate,” he said. “It’s only the stories he told in the studio, and those will be preserved and then shared for future generations. So anyone can talk with their voice, ask questions, and have him respond to their questions.”
Kawana said the technology will be installed in other museums and at the location of the internment camp. He also said educators and students will be able to access Storyfiles.
The exhibit opens for the first time this Saturday, but tickets have sold out.
It's part of the new permanent addition to the museum, which is closed to the public for renovations and is set to re-open in late 2026.
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