Optical character recognition (OCR) tools such as Transkribus and perhaps also artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT can improve and accelerate the process of creating a digital edition of a historical document. This presentation uses the previously undiscovered 1529 practica of Anton Brelochs to critically evaluate how well AI tools can help. Questions to be addressed include the following: - How well can ChatGPT correct errors in the OCR transcription or identify possible typos in the original document? - How well can ChatGPT provide a base diplomatic and critical texts and literal and idiomatic translations for use in the digital edition? - How does providing context (i.e., using prompts to give ChatGPT background information about the document’s genre and time period) affect ChatGPT’s functionality?
