Holocaust education represents a growing genetic AI problem

Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) has long been the most disruptive force in education, and educators are still absorbing the impact. My colleagues and I have had to reprogram our approaches and instructional assessments as Gen AI infiltrates every aspect of the academic environment.

I was unprepared for Gen AI to influence my work in Holocaust education. I have come to believe that the risk of harmful consequences of using genetic AI to recreate images or scenes from the Holocaust outweighs the potential educational benefits. And I’m not alone.

In a 2024 report titled “AI and the Holocaust: Rewriting History?” UNESCO warned that AI could be used to produce realistic images or videos that cast doubt on whether the Holocaust occurred – a phenomenon that could lead to greater anti-Semitism.

And in 2025, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial argued that using AI to create fictional images of Auschwitz victims “is not a homage – it is a profound act of…”