Display Technology
Thanks to AI video, AI-created conversational experiences and authentic audio files, the oral history form has entered a new age at the Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas.
Photo courtesy of StoryFile
April 18, 2025 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com
Oral history has long been used as a method to capture memories and stories and share that insight on personal lives and historical events with others.
Now, thanks to AI video, AI-created conversational experiences and authentic audio files, the oral history form has entered a new age at the Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas
The National Medal of Honor Museum, which officially opened in late March of this year, is neither a war memorial nor a military museum, but is biography-based as it takes visitors on a narrative journey through the lives of ordinary people who did something extraordinary in service to others. Of the 40 million Americans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, fewer than 4,000 have earned the Medal of Honor. Of those, only 61 are living today.
The museum has more than 100,000 square feet of space, including areas for classrooms, meetings, memorials and ceremonies.
How it came about
Within that footprint is an oral history experience, The Virtual Recipient, which uses StoryFile’s hi-fidelity interactive conversational video experiences Conversa technology that lets museum guests converse with four medal recipients from the Vietnam War: Jack Jacobs, Melvin Morris, Pat Brady, Tommy Norris and Paris Davis. The medal recipients share stories of courage and commitment.
The interactive visitor experiences was part of the museum’s blueprint from the start given the museum’s mission is commemorating the historical thread of sacrifice, patriotism and courage that connects members of the U.S. military service past and present. It is sponsored by AT&T.
«When we started designing the exhibit space, our team wanted to create an experience where visitors could feel like they were having an authentic conversation with a Medal of Honor Recipient. We recognized that the majority of the general public may never get to meet a recipient and that it is incredibly important they hear these firsthand accounts. We felt that these interactive interviews were the best way to give visitors that opportunity,» Jenny Page, manager, research and technology, National Medal of Honor Museum, said in an email interview.
StoryFile was chosen as the partner for this project through a rigorous RFP process, according to Page.
«Most importantly, they were chosen because of their commitment to creating an authentic interactive. As a collaborative partner, StoryFile proposed a model that uses keywords in a visitor’s question and matches them with the Recipient’s filmed response. This ensures that every answer a visitor receives is a genuine response,» she said.
Prior to the museum project, StoryFile created the same experience at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans involving 18 people from the WW2 era. Other museums that have worked with StoryFile include the Japanese American National Museum in L.A., the Museum of the Bible in D.C. and the Museum of the Holocaust in NYC and the Route 66 Museum in Arizona.
The StoryFile technology brings video to life, authentically and in real time, according to Denise Campbell, COO at StoryFile.
«StoryFile allows people to have dynamic, face-to-face conversations with pre-recorded video of real individuals sharing real experiences. Using advanced conversational AI, our platform makes it possible to ask a question and receive a relevant, authentic video response,» she said in an email interview.
«Whether it’s preserving a veteran’s experience, onboarding a new employee with leadership Q&As, or bringing historical figures into classrooms, our solution transforms static content into an engaging, interactive experience that feels personal, memorable, and deeply human.»
The technology in play
The museum partnered with StoryFile in January of 2023 and the project is an ongoing endeavor for the museum, said Page.
The experience features 96-inch LG monitors, in vertical fashion, that provide visitors with a life-size presence. There is a push-to-talk button at each visitor’s seat for asking questions. The fabricator and AV installer was Kubic Maltbie.
«Since we began our partnership, we have filmed five recipients,» said Page, adding each recipient was filmed over the course of three days and answered as many as 850 questions.
«All of those clips were edited by the StoryFile team and entered into their AI system, Conversa. We spent a little over a year and a half beta testing each one of the interactives,» she said.
The AI never makes up new answers or pulls from the open internet as everything is pre-recorded. The technology pulls the best answer to keep the conversation going, and it gets better at doing that the more it is used.
StoryFile has successfully deployed interactive video solutions across a range of environments, from museums and cultural institutions to enterprise and SMB clients.
«While each deployment is unique, they all share one core innovation: enabling users to have real-time conversations with video-based subjects. In institutional spaces especially, StoryFile creates truly memorable experiences. Visitors don’t just learn about history — they engage directly with it. This immersive, conversational approach offers a deeply personal and emotional connection that goes far beyond what a book, documentary, or traditional interview can provide,» Campbell said.
Since going live this spring The Virtual Recipient interactive experience, entitled «Conversations: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories,» has become a standout exhibit feature.
«Since opening, over 7,000 questions have been asked of the featured recipients. We’ve found that visitors are often deeply moved by hearing the recipient’s story in their own words,» said Page
The technical success, according to Campbell, is due to the collaborative approach between the museum and StoryFile.
«We are always conscious of the process as it sometimes involves scripting questions for interviewees that touch on difficult parts of their lived experience. Jenny Page and the team at the museum helped support this effort and served as a steadfast partner in setting up and conducting the interview experience,» said Campbell.
«Experiencing each medal of honor recipient sitting in the interview chair and sharing their history, in their own words, was a gift. We are grateful for each day on set with them, and glad the installation can give visitors an opportunity to experience the same thing,» she added.
About Judy Mottl
Judy Mottl is editor of Retail Customer Experience and Digital Signage Today. She has decades of experience as a reporter, writer and editor covering technology and business for top media including AOL, InformationWeek, InternetNews and Food Truck Operator.
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