Synthetic Heritage: Eminescu’s AI Doppelgänger in Romanian Digital Dreamscape

Abstract

As AI-generated talking avatars have gained popularity on platforms driven by short-form video, they reshape how cultural heritage is accessed and interpreted. This study investigates the reception of an AI-generated avatar of Mihai Eminescu, Romania’s national poet, reading one of his poems. Bringing together perspectives from Internet linguistics and digital cultural studies, the paper examines the Romanian viewers’ perspectives as expressed in the comment sections. Through a qualitative analysis of user responses, we identify recurring frames. The findings reveal that AI-driven literary impersonation generates a hybrid reception space as a site of public folklore in which cultural memory, national identity, and digital creativity intersect. The study contributes to debates on AI literacy, authenticity, and cultural transmission, suggesting that AI avatars can complement, but not replace traditional humanities education when accompanied by critical pedagogy. The article concludes with implications for responsible AI use in cultural heritage contexts, and sheds light on the audience engagement with AI-generated content in Romanian culture.