In the heart of Amsterdam lies the Amsterdam City Archive, where you are surrounded by centuries of untold stories.

Hidden in sixty kilometers of archives, written in old Dutch, are the stories of everyday Amsterdam: dockworkers, seamstresses, merchants, people who shaped the city we see today. Imagine if there was a way to unlock these histories with a simple question typed on your laptop or spoken into your phone. Chat with History makes 750 years of Amsterdam’s history accessible to us all. Innovative agentic AI technology allows us to remove barriers, making hundreds of years of stories available not just to experts but to schoolchildren, visitors, and anyone curious about Amsterdam’s past. We ensure that the stories that form Amsterdam’s history can be discovered by anyone, transforming the function and reach of the Archive.

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The written history of the city, protected by the Amsterdam City Archive, stretches across sixty kilometers of paper and contains records ranging from the earliest history of Amsterdam right up until last week! This data is stored in an enormous range of document types, from medieval charters, church registers, bound correspondence and carbon copies, to construction drawings and all kinds of image material. Between them, they tell stories big and small, with a trove of clues about the people who lived and did business here, and a wealth of knowledge on the city’s administration.

However, these precious documents that chronicle Amsterdam’s history have remained largely inaccessible until now, due to the nature of the medium. Those seeking access would need prior knowledge of terminology and the structure of an archive, severely limiting the Archive’s reach.

In recent years, the City Archive has invested heavily in digitizing its paper collection; twenty percent of its documents are now available in digital form, and items that have not yet been digitized can be requested via a scanning-on-demand service. While these advancements boosted the usage of the Archive immensely, the sources remained accessible only to those who could decipher the archaic, handwritten Dutch of the original documents. Handwritten Text Recognition technology was therefore a key development in the journey of the Archive to our chatbot. It converts historical manuscripts into machine-readable text, opening brand new possibilities for bringing history directly from the archive to new users.

Chat with History is one of the first projects of its kind, aiming to radically expand the reach of historical archives and connect history with our everyday lives. In this collaboration between the city of Amsterdam, Capgemini, and Microsoft, barriers to education are being removed using the latest AI technology, all in celebration of Amsterdam’s 750-year anniversary. Chat with History makes it possible to ask questions in multiple languages, in natural language and without prior knowledge, to the searchable sources in the archive. Sources that were once only comprehensible to a select few Dutch speakers can now be shared, with responses generated in easy-to-understand language and directly referencing relevant documents.

Users, whether individuals, schools, or travelers, now have the option to interact in written prompts or talk to an avatar. In the future, this will be expanded to include engaging characters that users can communicate with – such as Alewijn, the first Amsterdammer!

How have we done it? The solution is built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, Agentic Services, and Microsoft Agent Framework, which work together in a robust multi-agent system. This system includes agents such as query handlers, document retrievers, and summarizers, all orchestrated to provide seamless interactions with historical data. Microsoft Agent Framework plays a crucial role in coordinating these agents, ensuring efficient processing and accurate responses. This multi-agent framework enables seamless integration of new functionalities in the future. For instance, authentic images such as old city maps can be added to the chatbot’s response, with the relevant agent handling the integration of these features.

As a shared resource, the Archive embodies the right of everyone to access the wealth of information it holds, a vision that is now being realized more fully than ever before. The most revolutionary change in the Archive’s use lies in its ability to reach and include diverse groups, including those who may never have known about it. Chat with History allows them to easily uncover answers about the history of Amsterdam, or perhaps even gain insight into their own family or neighborhood. Moreover, experienced researchers who already use the archive will benefit from a cutting-edge tool supporting them to search more effectively for people, places, and events within the archive, to uncover meaningful connections across data from multiple sources.

What kind of stories has our project uncovered? One letter tells the story of a merchant’s hardships and a city standing up for its own in 1574: we came across two brothers, Mertyn and Heynric Gherytsz of Hamburg, who wrote on behalf of their fellow townsman Jan Lambertsz. Lambertsz was a merchant transporting grain by river from the Elbe, destined for sale in Dutch ports. Even before arrival, he suffered heavy losses, losing half of his cargo when his ships loaded with grain were seized. His frustration only increased when he was told he could not sell his wares, despite holding official letters of permission to buy and export grain. Outraged at the treatment, the Gherytsz brothers and the Hamburg council sent a formal letter of protest to the authorities, pointing out that Hamburg’s merchants had always paid the required tolls and duties, and had even contributed extra payments for maritime infrastructure such as beacons. They argued that it was unjust to deny Lambertsz permission when consent had already been given, and that he had already borne great financial harm. After nearly 450 years, Jan Lambertsz is alive again through Chat with History – and we can still relate to him and his struggles with Dutch bureaucracy!

The Archive no longer functions solely as a vault; it is opening up, creating a resource where people of all backgrounds can become curious about the history of the world around them. The significance of this work has been recognized far and wide: other archives in the Netherlands and abroad have expressed interest, and the project has earned award nominations. Most notably, Chat with History was presented to Satya Nadella, the global CEO of Microsoft, who highlighted our project in his keynote speech at the Microsoft AI Tour. This recognition underscores the potential of this initiative to redefine how history is accessed, understood, and shared.

This is just the beginning of a journey that reimagines how we engage with history. By transforming the Archive into a living, accessible resource, we are opening doors for curiosity, connection, and discovery for people everywhere. As recognition and interest continue to grow, we look forward to inspiring new ways to explore the past, empowering individuals and communities to uncover stories that shape their identities and understanding of the world. Together, we are not just preserving history; we are bringing it to life for future generations.

Three key specific, actionable steps:

Digitize to access: Use previously unused sources of information to unlock new potential. As soon as you have saved a document, you have created an archive!

Deploy smart AI agents: Unleash multi-agent AI to answer questions, retrieve documents, and connect the dots instantly. Adapt this framework for customer service, research, or compliance.

Design for everyone, everywhere: Build multilingual, multimodal, and inclusive tools. Let anyone – student, traveler, or professional – explore, learn, and contribute in their own way.