GCSU and University of Münster continue partnership with 'AI, the Pope and World War II'

By Gil Pound

W orld War II, the Pope and artificial intelligence are not topics one generally hears mentioned together, but all three are at the center of a unique presentation taking place at Georgia College & State University's Magnolia Ballroom Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 5 to 6 p.m.

Drs. Armin Stein and Katrin Bergener - visiting scholars from Germany's University of Münster - are using AI technology to examine over 56,000 pages of correspondence sent to Pope Pius XII from Jewish families seeking aid during World War II. Pope Francis in 2022 ordered that the letters be made accessible to everyone after two years of exclusive availability to the academic community.

Facing Nazi oppression, the Jewish families wrote to the Pope and pleaded for the Vatican to intervene. Some were fighting deportation and being forced into concentration camps while others sought information on their loved ones.

Stein and Bergener's research project will analyze patterns within the letters and by using AI-powered process mining to uncover unprecedented historical insights into the Holocaust.

"One thing I love about this project is it shows AI can bring life to historical context," said Dr. Jeannie Pridmore, chair of information systems and computer science for Georgia College's J. Whitney Bunting College of Business & Technology. "Who has the mental capacity to go through over 50,000 pages of letters to try to find patterns on their own? This is the power of AI in a good way. It can help us understand our past."

The visiting scholars will present their multidisciplinary work that touches on technology, history and religion to the campus community and the public at large at Tuesday's free event.

A Wunderbar Relationship

The talk is a continuation of an ongoing relationship between Georgia College and the University of Münster. Both schools are members of the SAP University Alliance, giving them access to the latest SAP has to offer in data analysis and management technology.

The Atlanta-based Halle Foundation helped make the international educational partnership possible. The foundation was formed by Claus Halle, a German native who worked his way up from driving a Coca-Cola delivery truck to president of the soda brand's European division and ultimately its senior executive vice president.

In 1986 he created The Halle Foundation to support and strengthen U.S.-German relations, particularly within the realms of education and technology. Pridmore has been awarded multiple grants through the foundation to fund study abroad opportunities and other innovative learning experiences for GCSU students like completing international projects alongside their University of Münster counterparts.

"We're really focused on critical thinking, communication and collaboration," Pridmore said.

Their most recent work dealt with helping German IT consulting firm Viadee improve sustainability for its customers. After multiple virtual meetings using Engage VR technology, 14 Georgia College students traveled to Germany in May to complete the group design-thinking project in person. They suggested that Viadee strengthen its social media and overall online presence.

Some real-world experience was not all the Georgia College students left Germany with.

"It was cool making those international connections," said Maddox Smith, a senior Management Information Systems major from Tucker, Georgia. "The students from Münster were so welcoming. I still keep in contact with a few of them."

Smith was among a group that visited The Halle Estate in Atlanta this month to demonstrate how the foundation's grant funding is being utilized.

Pridmore hopes to further the relationship between GCSU and the University of Münster by establishing a true student exchange program. Bergener and Stein are promoting the program during their visit to Milledgeville, and Pridmore along with fellow information systems colleague Dr. Joy Godin, will do the same when they visit Münster as guest lecturers in November.

Header Images: Georgia College students and faculty traveled to the Halle Foundation estate in Atlanta this month to give a presentation about how grant funding from the foundation is being used for hands-on, collaborative learning projects in partnership with peers at the University of Münster.