Key Points:
- A St. Louis man used artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate his late father’s voice as a special Christmas present for his mother.
- Phillip Willett, the man behind The Content Guy media company, learned about using AI voice software to recreate voices online.
- He used ElevenLabs’ text-to-speech software to recreate his late father’s voice and combined it with a video of photos for a keepsake video book.
- Willett’s mother was emotional and touched by the gift, and he believes it will make it easier for her to get through the holiday.
- Willett recommends using generative AI for good and believes it is one of the best gifts for someone who has lost a loved one.
A St. Louis man decided to use artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate his late father’s voice as a special Christmas present for his mother. Phillip Willett, the content creator behind The Content Guy media company, initially hesitated to use AI for this purpose. However, after researching online and finding a community of people who had successfully recreated voices of loved ones using AI voice software, he decided to give it a try. Using ElevenLabs’ text-to-speech software, Willett was able to recreate his late father’s voice and combined it with a video of photos to create a keepsake video book.
Willett’s late father, John Willett, passed away in 2022 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was a hero to Willett, and his parents’ strong relationship played a significant role in the close bond Willett has with his family and siblings today. Willett wanted to get his late father’s voice just right in order to make the gift idea work. He spent the whole day at his desk, becoming invested in the creation process. When he heard the program say the first words he inputted, “Hi, honey,” in his late father’s voice, he got chills all over his body and knew he had to continue with the project.
Willett presented the finished video book to his mother ahead of Christmas, and her emotional reaction was captured in a TikTok video that has gone viral with over 3 million views. Willett’s mother’s immediate response was a long and emotional hug, followed by tears and a conversation about how cool the gift was. Willett believes that the recreated voice will make it easier for his mother to get through the holiday, as she has been reminded of her late husband and now knows that he is with her always.
Willett and his family agree that instead of being weird, the AI recreation of his late father’s voice turned out to be something cool. The voice sounded so much like his father that everyone was speechless. Willett now recommends that others explore the option of using generative AI for good if they are inclined to do so. He believes that when done correctly, in a cinematic way, it is the best gift for someone who has lost a loved one.