New AI-powered library lets people meet Theodore Roosevelt in a whole new way 

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opened to the public on July 4.   

He led the Rough Riders, became the youngest U.S. president and inspired the teddy bear — but Theodore Roosevelt probably never imagined anything like this. His new presidential library gives visitors a fresh peek into history and even lets them chat with a lifelike version of himself.

Located in Medora, North Dakota, the unassuming building is covered in native grasses, with skylights providing most of the light. But in addition to the expected re-creations of the president’s home and White House, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, which opened to the public on July 4, is designed as a “living library” powered by AI.

A system that organizes and reconstructs hundreds of thousands of historical documents allows visitors — both onsite and online — to search, explore and interact with the frontier legend and his writings in entirely new ways.

“This is technology-forward, to present the information and to help people explore Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy and help people learn from some of the things he experienced throughout his life,” says Laura Hoffman, senior director of Microsoft’s AI For Good Lab.

Microsoft helped create the technology that powers the knowledge base backbone of the museum, called Box 1. Archivists uploaded hundreds of thousands of archival documents to Box 1, using AI to organize, enrich and reconstruct fragmented materials into searchable, contextualized historical records.

“Theodore Roosevelt left behind one of the richest written records of any American president, and for more than a century it sat in 32 separate collections across 18 institutions — readable only by people who could reach the archive and knew where to look,” says Matt Briney, the library’s chief communications officer.

Those records power The Campfire Reading Room, an AI-powered digital research tool that anyone anywhere in the world can use to search through Roosevelt’s writings, letters, images and historical materials.

“Pairing that record with AI changes what’s possible,” Briney says. “Now anyone can ask a question in everyday language and get Roosevelt’s actual documents in response.”

Box 1 is also the foundation for an immersive, in-person experience at the new library. Visitors can chat with an AI-powered avatar of Roosevelt and ask about his experiences, leadership philosophy and legacy.

When a senator was introduced to the avatar in late June, the digital Roosevelt even cracked a joke: “This office is a place for people who speak the truth… and for senators as well.”

Hoffman says the avatar’s quip is a good example of how they tried to capture Roosevelt’s personality in the digital re-creation. She says even though virtual Roosevelt wouldn’t recognize the name of a current senator, he could make a joke about politicians that was still funny to the modern visitor.

Connecting with people was known to be one of Roosevelt’s great skills throughout his life.

“That was something that was really powerful about who he was and how he built relationships across the aisle and in difficult situations,” she says. “That was something he relied on a lot and something that we really wanted to convey.”

Hoffman says that they were careful to create safety protocols to keep conversations PG-rated, since it’s meant to be an experience for people of all ages. The virtual Roosevelt will demur and redirect the conversation if asked about something off-limits.

As the lead technology partner, Microsoft donated much of its work with the library through its AI For Good Lab. The result is an approach that can be used for other cultural institutions in the future. The company plans to release a paper documenting exactly how the technology works and to open source the software used in the project.

As technology evolves, the library will evolve with it. When more documents are added to Box 1 or as generative AI improves, the Roosevelt avatar will automatically update with the additional context.

“That’s why we call it a living library,” Hoffman says. “One of the most challenging things for cultural institutions is to continue to keep their experiences feeling relevant and fresh. This is what’s great about AI technology: It will continue to get better and better.”

Learn more about the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. 

 

Lead image: Theodore Roosevelt avatar at Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. All photos courtesy of Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

Samantha Kubota reports on everything AI and innovation for Microsoft Signal, with a recent focus on how AI agents are reshaping everyday work, Microsoft’s research breakthroughs and the responsible use of emerging technologies. Prior to Microsoft, Kubota was a journalist at NBC News. Follow her on LinkedIn.