Key Points:
- A man in St. Louis used artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate his late father’s voice for a special Christmas present for his mother.
- Phillip Willett, the man behind The Content Guy media company, initially hesitated but was inspired by his wife to use AI, which he had been using professionally.
A St. Louis man has used artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate his late father’s voice for a special Christmas present for his mother. Phillip Willett, the content creator behind The Content Guy media company, shared a TikTok video featuring the creation, which has since gone viral with over 3 million views. Willett had initially hesitated to use AI, but his wife’s suggestion led him to discover a community of people who had successfully used AI to recreate the voices of their loved ones.
Willett sat down early one morning to give it a try using ElevenLabs’ text-to-speech software. He decided to include the phrase “Hi, honey” in his late father’s voice, a phrase he had heard his father say many times in his life. When he heard the program say it in his father’s voice, he got chills and decided to see the project through.
Throughout the creation process, Willett wanted to ensure that his late father’s voice was just right. Willett described his late father, who passed away in 2022 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, as his “hero.” He credits his parents’ strong relationship for the close relationship he has with his family and siblings today.
Willett not only recreated his late father’s voice but also put together a video with photos of him and his mother, Trish Willett, and combined them into a keepsake video book. He presented the final product to his mom ahead of Christmas, and she was deeply emotional and grateful for the gift. Willett believes that the AI-generated video book will make it easier for his mother to get through the holiday, as it serves as a reminder of her late husband’s presence.
Willett’s family agrees that instead of being “weird,” the project turned out to be something “cool.” He now suggests that others explore using generative AI for good, as he believes that it can be a meaningful way to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away.