Reddit founder uses AI to get a final embrace from his mother

On Sunday, Alexis Ohanian posted a photo and a short video to X, with the Post getting 20 million views within 36 hours.

The photo was healthy – one of Ohanian's late mother's favorite photos. In the photo, his mom embraces a young Ohanian in a warm embrace sitting on a sunny mountain meadow. The smiling boy will grow into the husband and parents of Serena Williams, one of Reddit's co-founders. The photograph is innocent enough in itself.

However, it is video that attracted the attention of the internet.

Using the new Midjourney AI video generator, Ohanian created short video clips that animated the photos, bringing his mother to life in a new way. The pair glows as the woman holds the young Ohanian and shakes him back and forth.

This tweet is currently unavailable. It may have been loaded or deleted.

Many of the responses were positive, with users sharing how they were moved by the video and Ohanian's message. In his post, the tech entrepreneur wrote: “Damn, I wasn't preparing how this would feel. We didn't have a video camera so there's no video with my mother… This is how she held me. I've rewatched it 50 times.”

Masculine light speed

And in a follow-up post he said, “I lost my mother almost 20 years ago. The trolls are sad enough so I can feel at ease. My family couldn't afford to buy a camcorder to generate a few seconds of animation using AI to stabilize recorded videos. Become.”

Many people felt that this video was a beautiful expression of the son's love for a mother, but others could not see it past AI. Some users likened these AI videos to “Black Tar Heroin” and “False Memory” and responded to disgust and fear.

Personally, I feel very vague about this AI application. I can see how it is very comforting and therapeutic. And I'm wary of injecting negativity when it's not necessary. If an Ohanian finds the video moving on a mental or emotional level, should I criticize him or ask him? (I contacted Ohanian and asked him if there was anything more to share with him. I'll update this story if I receive a response.) Unlike controversies like ChatGpt's studio Ghibli images, I don't know if this post will harm anyone.

Still, something about this gives me a pause. It's the same feeling you get when you're standing on the edge of a cliff.

Generic artificial intelligence can now quickly create realistic images, videos and speeches. I don't think the world is ready for results. I don't think I even know what the outcome will be.