USAWA AI: Rethinking Knowledge, Evidence, and Authority in Historical Learning

Speakers: Marie Rodet and Max Musau

Abstract

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in educational contexts, it is often positioned as a tool for delivering information efficiently. In history education, however, this raises critical questions about the nature of knowledge, evidence and authority. This paper presents USAWA AI, a dialogue-based educational tool that reframes AI not as a source of answers, but as an object of enquiry.

Drawing on historical research into slavery and its enduring legacies in West Africa, USAWA AI enables students to engage with a semi-fictional survivor narrative constructed from anonymised testimonies and scholarly sources. Rather than presenting this narrative as authoritative, the system is designed to prompt critical interrogation. Students are encouraged to question how the AI has been constructed, what forms of evidence underpin it, which perspectives are included or excluded and how digital systems shape historical understanding.

By situating AI within methods of historical source analysis, interpretation and debate, USAWA AI supports both historical enquiry and critical AI literacy. This approach foregrounds the limits of data, the constructed nature of narratives and the ethical implications of representing difficult histories through computational systems.

In doing so, the project contributes to broader discussions on AI, knowledge production and global histories, proposing a model of educational AI that prioritises critical engagement, human agency and epistemic responsibility over automation and answer delivery.

Speakers

Dr Marie Rodet is Reader in the History of Africa at SOAS University of London. Her work explores public history, gamification and digital methods as ways of translating historical research into interactive formats that enable ethical engagement with complex and difficult histories, and support equitable, collaborative forms of innovation. She is the narrative and research lead on three educational mobile games—Usawa, Usawa AI and Umoja—all developed in partnership with Jiwe Studios. These projects transform historical research into interactive experiences that foreground equity and ethical engagement, and exemplify her broader commitment to research-led innovation and inclusive research culture. 

Max Musau is the Founder and CEO of the Kenya-based game studio Jiwe Ltd. A creative technologist, he works at the intersection of storytelling, design, and emerging technologies. He is the technical lead on USAWA, USAWA AI, and Umoja—educational games co-developed with Marie Rodet—where he leads the development of interactive and AI-driven learning experiences exploring the histories and legacies of slavery. His work focuses on using technology to create engaging, socially impactful tools that support critical thinking, empathy and new ways of understanding complex global issues.

Image: boliviainteligente (Unsplash)