Plausibility and Verisimilitude in the Synthetic Past: The Middle Ages Generated by Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of generative artificial intelligence on the representation and dissemination of the medieval past, focusing on AI-created images, texts, and videos. Through case studies such as the recreation of the Battle of Covadonga, the figure of Pelayo, medieval knights, and the Battle of Hastings, it explores concepts like plausibility, digital neomedievalism, and performative memory. The article examines the risks of homogenization, bias, and historical simplification, as well as the opportunities and challenges these technologies pose for historiography and education. It emphasizes the need for critical literacy and ethical frameworks to harness AI’s creative potential without sacrificing rigor, diversity, or responsibility in building collective memory. Finally, it proposes future lines of interdisciplinary research and reflection.

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