The face animation technology itself is impressive enough - if you set aside the ethics of encouraging people to drag their long-lost relatives into the uncanny valley to help MyHeritage cross-sell DNA testing (with all the massive privacy considerations around putting that kind of data in the hands of a commercial entity). Unlimited access to MyHeritage’s ‘deep nostalgia’ feature - plus a bundle of other services such as photo enhancement - also carries a monthly fee (though your first few nostalgia hits are free). private equity firm for ~$600 million - is doubtless relying on the deep pull of nostalgia to smooth over any individual misgivings about handing over data and agreeing to its terms. The company - which, as we reported earlier this week, is being acquired by a U.S. MyHeritage breach exposes 92M emails and hashed passwords In 2018 MyHeritage also suffered a major data breach - and data from that breach was later found for sale on the dark web, among a wider cache of hacked account info pertaining to several other services. Last year, for example, the Norwegian Consumer Council reported MyHeritage to the national consumer protection and data authorities after a legal assessment of the T&Cs found the contract it asks customers to sign to be “incomprehensible”. Both of which have attracted a number of concerns over the years. It’s free to animate a photo using the “deep nostalgia” tech on MyHeritage’s site, but you don’t get to see the result until you hand over at least an email (along with the photos you want animated, ofc) - and agree to its T&Cs and privacy policy. (Selling DNA tests is their main business.) That being said, if you want to upload your own photos and see Deep Nostalgia in action, go for your life.MyHeritage’s AI-powered viral marketing playbook with this deepfakery isn’t a complicated one: They’re going straight for tugging on your heart strings to grab data that can be used to drive sign-ups for their other (paid) services. What are the ethics of using such technology, when many of the subjects cannot consent to their likenesses being used? There's plenty of artificial intelligence tech out there, including methods of deepfaking former US presidents, and replicating the voices of famous fictional characters. To be perfectly honest, while Deep Nostalgia seems like harmless fun, it has the same creepy energy as Kanye West creating a hologram of Kim Kardashian's deceased father. MyHeritage also used the Deep Nostalgia tech to bring Abraham Lincoln back to life for an advertisement. Of course, the best use of such sophisticated technology? Memes. People across the internet have found all sorts of creative ways to use Deep Nostalgia, with plenty of animations based on historical figures shared. For what it's worth, MyHeritage's website says photos uploaded without completing the signup process are automatically deleted.Īdditionally, MyHeritage claims that any photos or videos associated with the Deep Nostalgia tool are not shared with any third parties, plus that you own the copyright for any uploaded photos and created videos. Privacy concerns tend to arise when discussing genealogy companies, particularly with how your data is used. To try Deep Nostalgia for yourself, you need to sign up for a free account, which then lets you make five animations before requiring a paid subscription to create more. According to the Deep Nostalgia FAQ section, the gestures mimicked in the animations derive from MyHeritage employees, who were filmed to provide a blueprint for the technology. These animations consist of slight head movements, blinking, and subtle facial expressions. Genealogy company MyHeritage has become something of an internet sensation with "Deep Nostalgia", an AI-based technology capable of turning still photos into short animations.īecause naturally, when compiling your family tree and tracing ancestral lineage, you want nothing more than to create unnerving videos of dead relatives, right?ĭeep Nostalgia, a deep learning tool using technology from identity theft protection company D-ID, takes images you upload to My Heritage and animates them to make it look like the photo's subject is moving. Prepare to be amazed - or terrified - by this new photo-animating AI tool.
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