Reddit Co-founder Uses AI To ‘Hug' Late Mother, Internet Warns Of ‘False Memory'
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Ohanian used an old picture of himself with his mother and converted it into a short video clip.
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian used artificial intelligence to create a moment with his late mother, and the results left him quite emotional. Ohanian, the husband of Serena Williams, often uses his social media handles to show the importance of his family. He is frequently spotted spending time with Serena and their daughters, Olympia and Adira.
Taking help from a cutting-edge AI, Ohanian chose an old picture of himself and his mother and converted it into a moving image that shows the mother and son hugging each other.
'Damn, I wasn't ready for how this would feel. We didn't have a camcorder, so there's no video of me with my mom. I dropped one of my favourite photos of us in mid-journey as a 'starting frame for an AI video' and wow… This is how she hugged me. I've rewatched it 50 times," he wrote in the caption.
Damn, I wasn't ready for how this would feel. We didn't have a camcorder, so there's no video of me with my mom. I dropped one of my favorite photos of us in midjourney as 'starting frame for an AI video' and wow… This is how she hugged me. I've rewatched it 50 times. pic.twitter.com/n2jNwdCkxF
— Alexis Ohanian
The post includes the original picture of the Reddit co-founder along with his mother, uploaded alongside the AI-generated video that shows a heartwarming moment.
Despite being an emotional creation for him, the video had mixed reactions online, with many warning about creating fake memories with the help of AI, which can affect his mental health. One wrote, 'Be careful with this. Human memories are very malleable, and you'll remember what the AI shows you, whether it's true or not," while another added, 'I've tried this. But be cautious. At least do it repeatedly until you get one that perfectly matches your current memory of them, and delete the rest. Otherwise, you may create false memories. Be aware of what you're doing, potentially rewriting history in a way that can't be reversed."
A comment read, 'It's not how she hugged you. You've been given a false memory," while another added, 'feels like I'm watching a bunch of people about to jump into a pit of despair following and worshipping the AI output."
Amid the strong criticism from social media users, Ohanian, in a follow-up tweet on Monday, June 23, shared another message. Noting that he lost his mother almost 20 years ago, the businessman added, 'I lost my mom almost 20 years ago. Trolls can rest assured, that I've grieved sufficiently. My family couldn't afford a camcorder, and using tech to generate a few seconds of animation from a still is the equivalent of using AI to stabilise a poorly recorded video — or fill in the gaps of a deteriorated video — of her (if we'd had it). It's not a replacement for a loved one, nor should it be."
I lost my mom almost 20 years ago. Trolls can rest assured I've grieved sufficiently. My family couldn't afford a camcorder and using tech to generate few seconds of animation from a still is the equivalent of using AI to stabilize a poorly recorded video — or fill in the gaps of…
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— Alexis Ohanian
Despite the negative remarks on the use of AI, a section of users appeared pleased, with some even creating their own videos of their parents and their close ones.
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