Skip to main content

MyHeritage's New AI Tool Turns Old Photos Into Videos

It's fascinating to dig into your family history. Even though it should be more difficult as time passes to learn about those who were here much earlier than us, advancements in technology have introduced new ways to try and fill that gap.

In addition to family tree creation and ancestry tests, MyHeritage now lets you see what your deceased relatives might have looked like in motion.

Animate Your Family Photos

On Thursday, online genealogy company MyHeritage introduced a new AI tool called Deep Nostalgia, which animates the faces on people in still photos. It's meant to allow you to "see your ancestors from generations past like never before."

When you upload a photo to Deep Nostalgia, the AI (powered by tech developed by Israeli tech firm D-ID) goes through a library of pre-recorded driver videos of facial movements, and then applies the one that works best. Photos can be in color or in black and white.

With a free MyHeritage account, you can upload up to five photos to Deep Nostalgia. After that, you'll have to register for a paid account to keep using the tool.

The Response to Deep Nostalgia

Deep Nostalgia was created with a heartwarming sentiment, but not everyone seems to be on board. Soon after the tool was rolled out, comments swirled all over social media.

Some said that the tool generated "creepy" or "unnerving" results. Others went so far as to say Deep Nostalgia wasn't any different from deepfakes, or that it would create similar privacy problems.

Perhaps aware of the polarizing reaction the tool would create online, the MyHeritage Blog urges users to not use Deep Nostalgia inappropriately:

While many love the Deep Nostalgia™ feature and consider it magical, others find it uncanny and are uncomfortable with the results. Our driver videos don’t include speech in order to prevent abuse of this feature, such as the creation of “deep fake” videos of living people. Please use this feature on your own historical photos, and not on photos featuring living people without their permission.

On a more lighthearted note, there are other netizens that have deviated from the tool's intended purpose, but in a sillier way. Archaeologist Flint Dibble, for instance, fed the tool some photos of ancient statues instead.

Deep Nostalgia Brings Still Photos to Life

At the end of the day, MyHeritage allows you to create imitations—realistic interpretations of people we never got video footage of.

TNW's Tristan Greene put it best when he said, "An AI that imitates them is no more accurate or powerful than just asking someone to do an impersonation: it’s not the real thing no matter how skilled the impersonator is."

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Best 10 Social Media Platforms for Photographers to Flaunt Their Talent

Social media offers an excellent opportunity for photographers to connect with potential clients. In the digital era, it's a great asset. By showcasing your work on these networks, you can reach new audiences. Whether you are a professional or freelance photographer, the following social platforms will help you show off your work and get the right people to take notice... 1. Behance Behance is a classic portfolio publishing network that functions like a LinkedIn for creatives. Designed by Adobe, this is one of the best photography networking sites currently out there. The platform is ideal for sharing your portfolio and favorite images, allowing other Behance users to like and comment on your photos. By learning from their feedback and professional critiques, you can improve your work. The coolest feature of Behance is that it lets you find professional gig opportunities right on the platform. With your portfolio already available on the site, getting work becomes effortless.
Post a Comment
Read more

The 6 Best Platforms for Sharing Your Digital Art Online

Whether you're looking for somewhere to host your digital art portfolio or simply want to share your latest artworks, it can be difficult to choose a website to upload to. Or at least, it definitely is more so than before, now that art websites aren't bubbling with as much excitement as they used to be. You know that each site has its pros and cons, but it's hard to figure out what those are unless you make an account and see for yourself. Don't worry if you don't have time for that—we've got your back. Here are the websites we recommend for sharing digital art, and why you might want to consider them. 1. Pixiv If you were around when the online art scene was ridiculously active, chances are that your art style is influenced by anime and/or manga in some way. Otaku culture began its slow sneak into mainstream media back then, and Pixiv is a great home for artists that fall in that category. Pixiv started as a small online community based in Japan, but has s
Post a Comment
Read more

Snapchat Suspends Two Anonymous Messaging Apps Over Cyberbullying Claims

In light of a lawsuit that was filed earlier, two Snapchat apps, Yolo and LMK have been suspended by Snap. The apps allowed users to send anonymous messages on the platform. The Lawsuit Calls for an Immediate Ban of Yolo and LMK According to a LA Times report, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Kristin Bride, the mother of a teen who committed suicide in 2020. The lawsuit alleges that Bride's son took his own life after being cyberbullied via Yolo and LMK. In addition to this, the lawsuit alleges that Yolo and LMK aren't doing enough to tackle cyberbullying, and have consequently violated consumer protection law as well as their own terms of service and policies. Both apps use Snap Kit, a set of tools that allows developers to directly connect to Snapchat for better integration features. Today the family of a 16-year-old Oregon boy who took his own life after being cyberbullied sued Snap and the makers of apps YOLO and LMK, alleging that the companies should be "h
Post a Comment
Read more