Key Points:
- A man in St. Louis used artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate his late father’s voice as a Christmas present for his mother.
- The man, Phillip Willett, had initially been hesitant about using AI but was inspired by a community of people who had successfully used AI to recreate the voices of loved ones.
A St. Louis man named Phillip Willett used artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate his late father’s voice as a special Christmas present for his mother. Willett, who is the content creator behind The Content Guy media company, shared a popular TikTok video featuring the creation. The video has garnered over 3 million views and counting.
Willett’s wife initially suggested using AI, which he had already been using professionally for clients. Although he was initially skeptical, Willett decided to search online and found a community of people who had used AI voice software to recreate the voices of loved ones. This inspired him to give it a try.
Willett used ElevenLabs’ text-to-speech software to recreate his late father’s voice. The first words he put into the program were “Hi, honey,” a phrase he had heard his father say many times throughout his life. When the program said it in his father’s voice, Willett felt chills and knew he wanted to proceed with the project.
Throughout the creation process, it was important to Willett to get his late father’s voice just right. He described his father as his “hero” and wanted to create a keepsake video book that would honor their relationship. The finished product featured photos of his father and mother and was meant to feel like a portal, allowing his mother to be immersed in their relationship.
Willett presented the final product to his mother ahead of Christmas. The video captured her emotional reaction as she watched and listened to her late husband’s voice. Willett described a 10-minute hug and shared that the video made it easier for his mother to get through the holiday season, knowing that her husband’s voice was always with her.
Willett and his family believe that using AI to recreate his father’s voice was not weird, but rather a “cool” gift. He now suggests that others explore using generative AI for good if they are inclined to do so. Willett believes that when done correctly, using AI to recreate the voice of a lost loved one can be one of the best gifts someone can receive.