An AI-based short series is in the works by synthetic character creator Tilly Norwood.
Eline van der Velden, of AI-based production company Particle6, said on Monday that Streets of the past (Streets of the past) is coming to The History Channel in the Netherlands.
Made in partnership with Hearst Networks, the 10-episode show will feature Dutch historical investigator, author and reality TV star Corjan Mol (The Curse of Oak Island) transported back in time. With the help of AI, the program will tell stories associated with some of the most famous streets, squares and canal sides in the Netherlands.
In each episode, Mol will go on location and visit the modern street. As the story of this important moment in history unfolds, “the AI will help Mol travel back in time and join the action in a cameo role,” Particle6 said.
“Each immersive historical scene will be created by AI using archival materials – such as paintings, prints or photos – to ensure accuracy and Particle6 will use both real historical figures and imaginary ones to convey key facts through real stories about events taking place in the Netherlands at that time.”
The real Corjan Mol closes each episode with a reflection on what this moment meant for Dutch history and how its legacy still shapes the Netherlands and the Dutch people today.
“While we have been using AI behind the scenes in our productions for some time now, in areas like research and publishing, this is our first series where AI is primarily deployed on screen, all carefully guided by humans of course,” van der Velden said. “And, as we always knew when technology allowed, it proved the ideal creative partner, allowing us to seamlessly blend live-action footage from today’s Netherlands with AI scenes from the same locations in the past, to produce incredible cinematic images that could provide a blueprint for historical formats of the future.”
“We are delighted that Streets of the past allows us to continue our relationship with Hearst Networks,” van der Velden continued. “Not only is the team collaborative, but they are also very forward-thinking and have fully supported us in experimenting with AI in a historical series, before it is adopted in other genres. Additionally, being Dutch, it felt particularly meaningful that our first exploration of using AI to bring the past to life in this way took place on a topic that is so close to my heart.
The AI production company made headlines earlier this year when news broke that talent studios were turning to recruit a 24-year-old British man that Particle6 had created using AI, a character named Tilly Norwood. Celebrities, SAG-AFTRA and British union Equity were among those to criticize the synthetic actress. Van der Velden said his work was not intended to replace human actors.
