StoryFile

StoryFile records subjects in multi-camera interviews answering hundreds of questions, then builds an AI system that holds real conversations using those recordings. When someone talks to a StoryFile, they type or speak a question and the system selects the most contextually appropriate video response from the recorded library. It is not a text chatbot generating synthetic speech: it is a searchable, conversational video archive that surfaces the subject's actual words and face. The platform is used by museums (USC Shoah Foundation's project with Holocaust survivors), enterprises (for interactive executive training and onboarding), and families preserving personal histories. A guest at Amazon's Alexa Live 2021 convention famously had a conversation with an interactive version of a presenter who had died before the event. The technology sits at the intersection of oral history preservation, interactive media, and AI-driven conversation. StoryFile generates thoughtful debate online about digital legacy, consent, and what it means to be 'heard' after death. Hacker News threads lean philosophical; museum professionals engage seriously with the technology for preservation work. The Holocaust survivor testimonies project is widely cited as one of the most meaningful uses of AI for preserving human memory. Based on community discussions from Hacker News and museum communities.