Reddit Co-Founder's AI-Generated Video of Late Mother Sparks Ethical Debate

Reddit Founder Prompts Ethical Debate After Sharing Photo of His Mom Brought to Life with AI

The founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, took to X this weekend to share an AI-generated video of himself and his mom from when he was a young boy -- provoking debate and criticism. In the emotional post, Ohanian explains that he lost his mom at a young age and has no video of the two of them together. "Damn, I wasn't ready for how this would feel," he writes. Ohanian made the video with the help of Midjourney which, as PetaPixel reported last week, has just rolled out its first AI video generator model allowing users to animate a still image. "I dropped one of my favorite photos of us in Midjourney as 'starting frame for an AI video' and wow... This is how she hugged me. I've rewatched it 50 times," Ohanian says poignantly. X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has a cynical user base and people were quick to criticize AI technology for its ability to create false memories. "They're outsourcing their memories to machines," writes Matt Boileau. "Replace your real memories with fake memories for only 19.99 a month," adds Bobby. Some compared it to the Mirror of Erised from the first Harry Potter film, The Sorcerer's Stone, which Harry gets lost in looking at an image of his two deceased parents standing next to him. "Be careful with this. Human memories are very malleable, and you'll remember what the AI shows you whether it's true or not, "Elizabeth Greene writes beneath Ohanian's post. The technology employed by Midjourney is nothing new; in fact, the company is actually quite a way behind its competitors. Last year, Alien: Romulus brought back beloved actor Ian Holm so he could appear one more time in the long-running movie franchise and some services allow grieving family members to create AI versions of their loved lost ones. It is easy to see why people are uneasy around such technology. Consultant at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, Alessandra Lemma, told Al Jazeera that prolonged use of such services could stop people from properly processing grief and leave them in a state of "limbo." "The biggest concern that I have as a clinician is that mourning is actually very important. It's an important part of development that we are able to acknowledge the missing of another person," she said.

A Reddit cofounder posted an AI video of his late mom, and it's dividing the internet

On Sunday, Alexis Ohanian posted a picture and short video on X, and less than 36 hours later, the post amassed 20.4 million views. The picture was wholesome -- one of Ohanian's favorite pictures of his late mother. In the photo, his mom embraces a young Ohanian in a warm hug as they sit in a sunny mountain meadow. That smiling boy would grow up to be one of the co-founders of Reddit, the husband to Serena Williams, and a parent himself. The picture is innocent enough on its own. However, it's the video that caught the internet's attention. Using the new Midjourney AI video generator, Ohanian created a short video clip that animates the photo, bringing his mother to life in a new way. The pair beams as the woman hugs the young Ohanian and rocks him back and forth. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Many of the responses were positive, with users sharing how touched they were by the video and Ohanian's message. In his post, the tech entrepreneur wrote, "Damn, I wasn't ready for how this would feel. We didn't have a camcorder, so there's no video of me with my mom... This is how she hugged me. I've rewatched it 50 times." And in a follow-up post, he clarified, "I lost my mom almost 20 years ago. Trolls can rest assured I've grieved sufficiently. My family couldn't afford a camcorder and using tech to generate few seconds of animation from a still is the equivalent of using AI to stabilize a poorly recorded video -- or fill in the gaps of a deteriorated video -- of her (if we'd had it). It's not a replacement for a loved one nor should it be." While many people found the video to be a beautiful expression of a son's love for his mother, others couldn't see past the AI. Some users reacted with revulsion and horror, likening AI videos like this to "black tar heroin" and a "false memory." Personally, I feel quite ambivalent about this application of AI. I can see how it would be immensely comforting, therapeutic, even. And I'm wary of injecting negativity where it's not needed. If Ohanian found the video moving on a spiritual or emotional level, then what right do I have to criticize or question him? (I reached out to Ohanian to ask if he has anything further to share, and I'll update this story if I receive a response.) Unlike controversies like the Studio Ghibli images from ChatGPT, I don't see how this post harms anyone. Even so, something about this gives me pause. It's the same feeling I get when standing on the edge of a cliff. Generative artificial intelligence can now quickly make lifelike images, video, and speech, and I don't think the world is ready for the consequences. I don't think we even know what the consequences will be. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.