内容来源：https://news.microsoft.com/signal/articles/ai-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library/

内容总结：

西奥多·罗斯福总统图书馆7月4日开放：AI技术让历史人物“活”起来

位于美国北达科他州梅多拉市的西奥多·罗斯福总统图书馆将于7月4日正式对公众开放。这座外表低调的建筑覆盖着原生草皮，依靠天窗采光，但其内部却藏着一项革命性创新——由人工智能驱动的“活图书馆”。

该馆的核心技术名为“Box 1”，由微软AI for Good实验室协助开发。系统将罗斯福总统散落在18个机构、32个不同档案库中的数十万份历史文献进行数字化整理、重构和关联，打造出一个可搜索、可交互的知识库。无论参观者身处现场还是远程在线，都能用日常语言提问，系统会直接检索出罗斯福本人的原始文件作为回答。

最引人注目的是馆内的AI互动体验：一个高度还原罗斯福形象的AI虚拟人像。参观者可以与他实时对话，询问其生平经历、领导哲学和政治遗产。在6月底的一次内测中，当一位参议员向虚拟罗斯福问好时，这位数字版总统甚至幽默地调侃道：“这个办公室是为讲真话的人准备的……也包括参议员。”微软方面表示，团队特别注重通过技术捕捉罗斯福善于与人沟通、跨越党派分歧的个性魅力。

为确保适合各年龄层观众使用，AI对话系统设置了严格的安全协议。谈及敏感话题时，虚拟罗斯福会礼貌地转移话题。随着技术演进和更多档案录入，这一AI形象将自动更新知识库，实现“活图书馆”的持续进化。

微软已承诺将该项目技术文档公开发布，并开源相关软件，供全球其他文化机构借鉴使用。图书馆首席传播官马特·布赖尼表示：“以往这些珍贵史料只有亲自跑档案馆、知道去哪儿找的人才能阅读。现在，AI让一切成为可能。”

中文翻译：

预计阅读时间：4分钟
全新AI驱动图书馆，让人以全新方式遇见西奥多·罗斯福
作者
西奥多·罗斯福总统图书馆将于7月4日对公众开放。
他曾率领“莽骑兵”，成为美国最年轻的总统，还催生了泰迪熊的诞生——但西奥多·罗斯福大概从未想象过这样的场景。这座全新的总统图书馆将让游客一窥历史的全新视角，甚至能与一个逼真的“数字版”他本人对话。
图书馆位于北达科他州的梅多拉，建筑外观朴素，覆盖着本土植被，大部分光线来自天窗。但除了对总统故居和白宫的常规复刻外，西奥多·罗斯福总统图书馆被设计为一座由人工智能驱动的“活图书馆”，将于7月4日向公众开放。
一套能够整理和重建数十万份历史文献的系统，将让现场和线上的游客能够以全新方式搜索、探索并与这位边疆传奇及其著作互动。
“这是技术的前沿运用，旨在呈现信息，帮助人们探索西奥多·罗斯福的遗产，并从他一生的经历中汲取智慧，”微软AI for Good实验室高级总监劳拉·霍夫曼表示。
微软协助创建了支撑博物馆知识库核心的技术，名为“Box 1”。档案管理员将数十万份档案文件上传至Box 1，利用人工智能整理、丰富并重建零散材料，将其转化为可搜索、具上下文的史料。
“西奥多·罗斯福留下了美国历任总统中最丰富的书面记录之一，但一个多世纪以来，这些资料分散在18家机构的32个独立收藏中——只有那些能接触到档案馆且知道如何查找的人才能阅读，”图书馆首席传播官马特·布里尼说。
这些资料将驱动“篝火阅览室”——一个由人工智能驱动的数字研究工具，全球任何地方的用户均可通过它搜索罗斯福的著作、信件、图像及历史资料。
“将这份记录与人工智能结合，打开了无限可能，”布里尼说，“现在任何人都可以用日常语言提问，并直接得到罗斯福的真实文件作为回应。”
Box 1也是新图书馆沉浸式线下体验的基础。游客将能与一个由人工智能驱动的罗斯福虚拟形象对话，询问他的经历、领导哲学和遗产。
6月下旬，当一位参议员被介绍给这个虚拟形象时，“数字罗斯福”甚至开了个玩笑：“这间办公室是为讲真话的人准备的……也为参议员们准备。”
霍夫曼说，虚拟形象的这句调侃很好地体现了他们如何试图在数字重建中捕捉罗斯福的个性。她表示，尽管虚拟罗斯福并不认识现任参议员的名字，但他能针对政客开一个让现代游客依然觉得有趣的玩笑。
与人建立联系，据称是罗斯福一生中杰出的才能之一。
“这充分体现了他的人格魅力，以及他在跨越党派、面对困境时建立人际关系的方式，”她说，“这是他非常依赖的能力，也是我们非常希望传达的一点。”
霍夫曼表示，他们谨慎制定了安全协议，以确保对话适合所有年龄段人群（保持PG级）。如果被问及禁忌话题，虚拟罗斯福会婉拒并引导对话转向。
作为主要技术合作伙伴，微软通过其AI for Good实验室向TRPL捐赠了大量工作成果。其模式可供未来其他文化机构借鉴。该公司计划发布一份详细说明技术原理的论文，并将项目使用的软件开源。
随着技术发展，图书馆也将同步进化。当更多文档被添加到Box 1，或随着生成式AI的改进，罗斯福虚拟形象将自动根据新增语境更新。
“这就是我们称之为‘活图书馆’的原因，”霍夫曼说，“文化机构面临的最大挑战之一，就是如何让体验始终保持相关性和新鲜感。这正是人工智能技术的伟大之处：它会变得越来越好。”
了解更多关于西奥多·罗斯福总统图书馆的信息。
主图：西奥多·罗斯福总统图书馆中的罗斯福虚拟形象。所有照片由西奥多·罗斯福总统图书馆提供。
萨曼莎·库博塔为微软Signal报道一切关于人工智能与创新的内容，近期重点关注AI代理如何重塑日常工作、微软的研究突破以及新兴技术的负责任使用。加入微软前，库博塔是NBC新闻的记者。可在领英上关注她。

英文来源：

– The estimated reading time is 4 min.
New AI-powered library lets people meet Theodore Roosevelt in a whole new way
Author
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens 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 will give visitors a fresh peek into history and even let 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, opening 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 will allow 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 will 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 will be able to 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 TRPL 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.