Using AI to Reclaim and Preserve APIA Heritage
As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms modern life, we’re understanding more about the benefits and tradeoffs of its use in generating content. New alum Paul Kim wrote his master’s thesis about how generative AI (genAI) perpetuates false narratives about Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA), and how communities can use genAI to reclaim those narratives.
In this episode, producer Willa Seidenberg talks with Paul about his thesis, Encoding Counter Memories: Artificial Intelligence as a Tool for APIA Community Empowerment. He completed it for his dual master’s degree in heritage conservation and landscape architecture and urbanism.
They discuss ethical concerns like misinformation and data privacy, how bias affects APIA heritage, and how communities can — and must — use it to share their stories and amplify accurate history. Paul is already on the case as a Past Futures Fellow for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation (APIAHiP)!
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(Top) AI-generated portraits depicting people in Los Angeles Chinatown using Microsoft Copilot. March 21, 2024. (Bottom) AI-Generated scenes of Los Angeles Chinatown using Microsoft Copilot. March 21, 2024. 
(L) AI-generated representation of Los Angeles-style Korean soon tofu stew. Created using OpenAI/DALL-E3. November 24, 2024. (R) Traditional soon tofu stew served at Beverly Soon Tofu Restaurant, Los Angeles. Courtesy: Beverly Soon Tofu Restaurant. 
(L) Microsoft Copilot Studio’s response—3 of 4—revealing problematic beauty standard biases in AI image generation. April 12, 2024. (R) Microsoft Copilot Studio’s response—4 of 4. Response demonstrates how AI systems can deflect rather than substantively address issues of racial bias. April 12, 2024. 
(L) Sequential text-to-image generation results—1 of 4. Microsoft Copilot Studio demonstrating encoded biases in AI image generation. April 12, 2024. (R) Microsoft Copilot Studio’s response—2 of 4. Demonstrates algorithmic bias in AI representation of Asian American communities. April 12, 2024. 
(L) AI-generated reimagining of Pachappa Camp, Riverside, California, illustrating a hypothetical evolution of the first Koreatown in the United States. Generated by Copilot Studio, December 5, 2024. (R) Variation using Stable Diffusion XL. December 5, 2024. 
(L) James Irvine Japanese Garden. December 29, 2015. Photograph by Frank Fujimoto. (R) AI-generated representation of a Japanese-style garden in Los Angeles. Generated by Microsoft Copilot, December 5, 2024.
Show Notes
Thesis: Encoding Counter-Memories: Artificial Intelligence as a Tool for APIA Community Empowerment by Paul Kim.
Asian Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation
The 2025 AI Index Report, Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
A simple guide to help you understand AI, BBC
Racism and AI: “Bias from the past leads to bias in the future,” United Nations Human Rights
Humans are Biased. Generative AI is Even Worse, Bloomberg News
Taking the Fight for Equality into the AI Era, Harvard Magazine
USC Heritage Conservation Programs
Featuring
Paul Kim is a graduate of the dual-degree program in Landscape Architecture + Urbanism and Heritage Conservation at USC. His professional background spans the nonprofit, philanthropic, and private sectors, where he has focused on research, data analysis, and strategic program management. Throughout his career, he has specialized in connecting organizations across sectors with innovative methodologies to drive positive social impact and community empowerment..
Podcast producer Willa Seidenberg taught audio journalism and podcasting at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism while pursuing a Master of Heritage Conservation degree at the USC School of Architecture. She produces the podcast: A Matter of Conscience: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War.
A 20-year broadcast journalist and an inaugural fellow with USC’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Willa founded Annenberg Radio News, the university’s radio news operation; and Intersections South LA, a reporting lab and community website for South Los Angeles. She retired from teaching in 2023.
With photographer William Short, Willa created two oral history/photo projects: A Matter of Conscience: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War and Memories of the American War: Stories From Viet Nam. She produces the podcast: A Matter of Conscience: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War.
Credits
Episode produced by Willa Seidenberg
Original theme music by Stephen Conley (stephenconleymusic@gmail.com)
Save As logo designed by Fern Vargas, USC School of Architecture
More about the Save As team on the About page
