Theodore Roosevelt Speaks Again: LemonSlice Powers a Life-Size, Conversational AI Avatar at the Opening of the New Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

Through a partnership with Microsoft and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, visitors can look the 26th president in the eye and ask him questions, hearing answers in his own words, powered by LemonSlice's real-time interactive avatar technology 

SAN FRANCISCO, July 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LemonSlice, the AI lab behind the first real-time interactive video model, today announced that its technology powers a live, talking version of Theodore Roosevelt at the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (TRPL), which officially opens on July 4 in Medora, North Dakota. Instead of reading about America's 26th president, visitors can stand in front of the life-size Theodore Roosevelt avatar, ask him questions out loud, and hear him answer in his own words, drawn from what Roosevelt actually spoke and wrote during his lifetime.

Unlike pre-recorded clips or static displays, LemonSlice renders Roosevelt's face and body live, frame by frame, responding in the moment to each visitor's question. The result is a natural, face-to-face conversation with a historical figure that feels fluid, expressive, and immediate, bringing the former president out from behind the pages of history and into the room.

The experience is housed in a permanent exhibit built by Microsoft, part of the Library's broader effort to make Roosevelt's life and legacy something visitors can step into rather than simply observe.

President Donald Trump will be one of the first early visitors to experience first-hand the Theodore Roosevelt AI avatar on July 1st as part of the early opening for the TRPL VIPs and benefactors.

At the core is LemonSlice's breakthrough interactive avatar technology, which turns a single image into a living, conversational character by rendering every pixel in real time rather than layering lip movements over a photo or looping video. The same technology that animates Roosevelt powers an emerging category of interactive video: characters that can see, listen, and respond like a live video call, opening new possibilities for museums, education, and beyond. The brains of the Roosevelt avatar are powered by Azure's Conversational AI Platform, and trained on hundreds of thousands of documents from, to, and about the former president. Additional technologies powering Roosevelt include Azure Speech and LiveKit. 

"Theodore Roosevelt urged people to step into the arena, and this exhibit lets visitors step into the arena with him," said Lina Colucci, Co-Founder and CEO of LemonSlice. "Bringing one of history's most vivid figures into a live conversation is exactly why we built this technology. We want to make the past feel present, because the best way to learn from history is to engage with it, not just read about it."

"It's incredible to see people talk with President Roosevelt and not just read about him. Because of AI, no two conversations are the same, and Roosevelt's wit often brings a huge smile to their faces. This is a completely new way to engage with history," said Laura Hoffman, Senior Director at Microsoft's AI for Good Lab.

"We are thrilled to partner with LemonSlice and Microsoft for the 'Talk with TR' exhibit. This exhibit is a powerful way to connect a new generation with his life and legacy by allowing visitors to talk to a digital version of Roosevelt face-to-face," said Matt Briney, Chief Communications Officer at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

The Roosevelt experience is clearly presented to visitors as an AI-powered exhibit. Both LemonSlice and Microsoft build guardrails into their technologies, including consent requirements and content moderation, as part of their commitment to deploying AI responsibly.

The $450 million Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, designed by architecture firm Snøhetta, opens July 4 to coincide with America's 250th anniversary. Set in the North Dakota Badlands that shaped Roosevelt as a young man, it is the only presidential library directly connected to a national park.

About LemonSlice

LemonSlice is an AI research lab on a mission to break the avatar Turing test: interactive avatars that are indistinguishable from real humans on a video call. Its 20-billion parameter video model can synthesize any character - from photorealistic humans to cartoon animals - in real-time on a single GPU. Backed by $10.5 million in seed funding, the team includes talent from MIT, Harvard, Stanford, CMU, and Duke. To learn more, visit lemonslice.com. 

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PHOTO: exhibit_2.JPG

SOURCE LemonSlice