28-12-2023 (NEW YORK) A Missouri man moved millions after using artificial intelligence to recreate his late father’s voice for a touching Christmas gift to his grieving mother.
Philip Willett, a content creator from St. Louis, shared the emotional moment his mother Trish opened the present containing an AI-generated message from her husband who died of cancer last year. The viral TikTok video shows Trish break down upon hearing her late husband’s familiar voice again after over a year.
Philip said recreating his dad’s voice took an entire day of work but was worth it to bring some comfort to his mom this first Christmas without him. After searching online and getting his wife’s encouragement, Philip used AI software to clone his dad’s voice from old recordings.
Hearing just the greeting “Hi honey” initially gave Philip chills before he assembled a video book of photos and an AI-narrated message for his mother. The gift left both weeping for minutes in a long hug.
Philip said his hero father’s ‘presence’ through the AI voice will help his mother through the holidays and remind her he’s still with the family. The rest of the Willetts were also awestruck by the innovative present reviving the essence of a lost loved one.
The viral reaction confirms the power of AI to forge profound connections, Philip said. But more special was helping his mom feel her husband’s spirit at Christmas through a technology demonstrating both humanity’s creativity and compassion.
Millions viewed the touching TikTok of a son’s gift easing a mother’s grief. But for the Willetts, the moment resonated as a family undeniably drawn closer through AI’s human potential.
@phillipwillett My dad passed away from pancreatic cancer 1.5 years ago. So I decided to do something special for my mom this year for Christmas. It’s been so long since we’ve heard his voice…So I made her a video using an AI software to match his exact voice. The result was absolutely amazing. Here’s how it turned out…. #cancer #cancersucks #cancerfighter #pancreaticcancer #christmasgift #christmastiktok #pancreaticcancerwarrior #cancertok ♬ Lights Are On – Tom Rosenthal
