Frequently Asked Questions

Alternate History AI is an educational simulation platform that uses artificial intelligence to explore historical scenarios and their possible alternate outcomes. You can interact with AI to see how different decisions at pivotal moments could have changed the course of history.

Go to Interactive Scenarios, choose a historical event, and begin. You will move through cycles where your choices shape an alternate timeline. The simulation provides historical context as you go.

An account is required to save progress and access interactive scenarios. You can browse What If articles and resources without an account.

Yes. Alternate History AI is currently free for educational and personal exploration. Premium features may be introduced later, but core scenarios and content will remain accessible.

The platform works on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge provide the best experience.

Interactive scenarios are AI-powered simulations where you make decisions at critical historical junctures. The AI generates plausible alternate timelines based on those choices and shows how events might have unfolded differently.

Scenarios are divided into cycles representing decision points. Each cycle provides context and choices. The AI processes your selection and generates consequences, while metrics track effects on politics, economics, society, and other factors.

Most scenarios have five to ten cycles and take approximately 15 to 30 minutes. You can pause and return later because progress is saved to your account.

Yes. You can replay scenarios and compare different decision paths to explore historical causality and alternative outcomes.

Scenarios cover events including Columbus's 1492 voyage, the Battle of Hastings, the Declaration of Independence, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the atomic bomb decision, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Additional scenarios are added over time.

It identifies a scenario that is still under development and is not yet available to play.

What If pages are long-form explorations of alternate history scenarios. They present historical background, a divergence point, a plausible alternate timeline, broader impacts, and references for further reading.

What If pages are curated analytical articles. Interactive scenarios let you make choices that shape the outcome.

The articles are not simulations, but they can suggest prompts and link to related interactive scenarios.

Current articles include Alexander the Great, Elizabeth I, the American Civil War, Napoleon at Waterloo, the Soviet Union, Ming exploration, and Hitler's art-school application. Browse the complete What If collection.

The platform uses language models to simulate outcomes based on historical patterns, cause-and-effect relationships, and scenario context. It evaluates choices and generates a coherent alternate timeline.

We use modern large language models selected for accuracy, educational value, and storytelling. The specific implementation may change as the technology improves.

We strive for accuracy in base facts and historical context. Alternate outcomes are necessarily speculative and are presented as plausible explorations rather than exact predictions.

The platform is designed to distinguish established historical context from speculative outcomes, but AI can make errors. Please report factual problems through our contact page.

Use the platform as a starting point for deeper study, not as a primary academic source. Historical facts are researched, alternate timelines are marked as speculative, and readers should consult the cited scholarship.

We collect authentication information, scenario progress and choices, and basic usage analytics needed to operate and improve the platform. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Progress is saved to the platform database when you complete a cycle and is tied to your account so it can be accessed from another device.

Yes. Request deletion through your profile or by contacting us. Personal account data and scenario progress will be removed in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.

Your scenarios are private by default. Aggregated, anonymized information may be used for analytics and platform improvements.

No. We do not sell user data to third parties.

Starting facts and context are researched from reliable sources. Alternate timelines are speculative but grounded in documented conditions, cause-and-effect, and historical scholarship.

We consult academic publications and historical sources and welcome collaboration and review from historians.

Please report it through our contact page with the specific claim and supporting source. We review verified corrections.

Yes. They are designed to encourage critical thinking, historical understanding, and exploration of causality. They complement rather than replace formal education.

You can use it for learning and inspiration. For academic work, verify claims through primary and scholarly sources and follow your institution's source requirements.

Metrics summarize how choices affect factors such as political stability, economic capacity, social welfare, military strength, and cultural development.

Timelines show decision points, choices, and major outcomes across cycles, helping you follow the narrative and compare it with actual history.

Download and sharing features are under development. Completed simulations can currently be reviewed through your profile.

Tags help filter scenarios by themes such as war, political change, or scientific discovery.

The summary presents your major choices, final outcome, timeline divergence, and relevant metrics after a scenario is completed.

Check your connection, refresh the page, and confirm that you are signed in. If the problem continues, clear the browser cache, try a current browser, or contact support.

Confirm that you are using the same account that started the scenario. Progress is stored per account and anonymous progress may not transfer after login.

Record the message and the action that caused it, refresh the page, and try again. If it persists, contact us with your browser, device, and steps to reproduce it.

The platform works best in a version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge released within the last year.

Use the contact page and include what happened, what you expected, reproduction steps, browser and device details, and screenshots when helpful.