Ahead of the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary this July, you might spot a historical exhibit on wheels: Six mobile museums are crisscrossing the contiguous United States to showcase the country\u2019s history. But these \u2018Freedom Trucks,\u2019 funded by the right-wing company PragerU, heavily feature artificial intelligence, and some say this AI presents a whitewashed version of the country\u2019s past.<\/p>\n
What do these museum trucks showcase? <\/p>\n The trucks are a \u201ctraveling exhibition of touchscreen displays, Revolutionary War artifacts and AI<\/a>,\u201d designed to teach children<\/a> about the United States\u2019 founding, said The New Yorker<\/a>. They are part of PragerU\u2019s goal of \u201cdeveloping programming for America\u2019s birthday,\u201d and the trucks themselves \u201creceived a $14 million grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services,\u201d an agency that provides funding for educational institutions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The museums feature AI-generated displays of early figures in colonial America, including \u201cRevolutionary figures like George Washington, Betsy Ross and the Marquis Lafayette,\u201d said 404 Media<\/a>, as well as a wall of 50 \u201cAmerican heroes\u201d throughout U.S. history. The museums also feature digital copies of famous American documents such as the Declaration of Independence alongside quizzes on U.S. history. Each AI video \u201cended with a title card showing the White House and PragerU\u2019s logo,\u201d plus a closing video of President Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below <\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n The Week<\/p>\n Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nSUBSCRIBE & SAVE\n<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Sign up for The Week’s Free Newsletters<\/p>\n From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n Why are the trucks controversial? <\/p>\n They have come under fire for their perceived whitewashing of history<\/a>, as well as their use of AI to do so. The trucks do not completely omit non-white figures, as \u201cseveral Black luminaries are mentioned: among the 50 American heroes are Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks,\u201d said The Guardian<\/a>. But the majority of the exhibits are geared \u201ctoward the white men who led the charge to nationhood, with minor roles granted to their women dutifully holding the fort back home, and on God as the source of the country\u2019s greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n Christianity<\/a> features heavily in the displays. The AI-generated Washington \u201csays that \u2018our rights are a gift from God,\u2019\u201d while a nearby placard \u201cmakes the point overtly: \u2018The foundational principles of America are rooted in the Western and Judeo-Christian traditions,\u2019\u201d said The Guardian. Many dark moments in U.S. history are also allegedly downplayed; slavery<\/a> \u201cmakes an entry, though it is presented as a sort of wrinkle in America\u2019s perfect design that was ironed out in time,\u201d not as something \u201cwhose consequences still loom large over the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Other marginalized groups are reportedly treated similarly in the museums. Native Americans \u201cget barely a look in,\u201d and there isn\u2019t a \u201csingle reference to the large swathes of the country that were acquired from Spanish colonies and Mexico<\/a>,\u201d said The Guardian. Some critics claim the museum as a whole is historical revisionism. The trucks are a \u201cwork of propaganda that promises to tell only one side of American history\u201d and \u201cpromote only one set of so-called American values,\u201d said Book Riot<\/a>.<\/p>\n While controversy looms over the content of these trucks, the people directly involved don\u2019t appear to have many concerns, including Trump himself. \u201cI want to thank PragerU for helping us share this incredible story,\u201d the president says on the museum\u2019s closing video, which reportedly plays on a loop. \u201cI hope you will join me in helping to make America\u2019s 250th anniversary a year we will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n Explore More<\/p>\n
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