AI is highly criticized and feared by many people, but we can’t help but be moved by the video Luis Fernandez created for his grandfather’s 90th birthday.
set to music cinema paradisethe video begins with a recent photo of Juan Manuel standing next to a speed limit sign that reads “90.” The 90-year-old man backflips off the road at the beginning of the video, highlighting the shortcomings of AI in physics, but then the video moves into a heartwarming tribute to the old man.
Using photographs taken from the 1940s to the 1960s, Fernandez brought the images to life with a generative AI app to create a short film in which the images move with subtle gestures.
“My Aunt Laura sent me about 300 photos that she had collected over many months. When I started editing, I thought about animating some of them, especially the older ones,” says Fernandez. telecinco. “I thought my grandfather would like to see his family moving again.”
To commemorate Manuel’s 90th birthday, his family from Andalusia, Spain, discovered a photo that hadn’t been saved in an album for decades. These include a 1944 portrait of young Juan Manuel with his mother and siblings, scenes of young Manuel riding horses and motorcycles, moments from his family life, and photographs from his 1965 wedding.
“The day he saw the video, he was surprised,” Fernandez said. telecinco. “He said it was science fiction.” The family had gathered to celebrate, unaware of the photo-animation that was about to be shown.
Fernandes emphasizes that AI does not replace the original image, but provides a reinterpretation aimed at enhancing the tribute. For him, this tool simply provided a new way to connect his grandfather with moments from his past. “It was a tribute to his life and everything he built,” he added.
Fernandez was born on November 20, 1935. He works as both a lawyer and a farmer, and at age 90 still maintains a light routine, visiting the fields every morning, and recently renewed his driver’s license. He is the father of five children, the grandfather of 11 children, and the great-grandfather of a newborn that bears his name.
Many online critics commented that Fernandes’ video was a “beautiful” use of AI. Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about the role of AI in breathing new life into old photos. saturday night live He recently exposed the technology in a hilarious sketch featuring Glen Powell.
