Holocaust Survivors Harness AI To Generate ‘Photos’ To Preserve Their Memories

No matter how you may feel about artificially-intelligent art generators, they can still serve a positive purpose, such as aiding holocaust survivors to preserve their storied histories.

As PetaPixel puts it, as most of the tragedy’s survivors are now in their 80s and 90s, there very soon could be no one left to recall first-hand experiences of their lives during the war. As such, nonprofit Chased Naomi has turned to technology to generate “photos” of the past.

So far, 19 Israelis have recorded their experiences of the Holocaust using an AI system, each with their own unique story and horrifying tales that will no doubt be of importance for future generations to refer to and remember. 

As per Reuters, while the survivors recount their stories, Sol Leffler, who helps them operate the software, types in key components into Midjourney, a popular AI tool that turns text descriptions into graphic images. 

For example, when 82-year-old survivor Raissa Gurewitsch recounted how 21 of her relatives were killed during the war, and how she held onto the pink, blood-stained jacket retrieved from her brother, the system was able to come up with four images of a young child wearing the coat.

Gurewitsch then assisted Leffler in choosing the image she believed to have the closest likeness to how she might have looked back then. These images will go on display this week at an exhibition in Ashkelon, Israel, in commemoration of International Holocaust Memorial Day. 

Ehudith Bracha Serchook, who narrowly escaped a terrible fate when her family managed to flee from Nazi-allied forces in the Crimean city of Odesa back in 1941, said forgetting the historical events of the Holocaust would be “dangerous.” 

Admitting that some people may not want to remember such tragic events, she felt it was important to remind them that “anything can repeat in our lives,” and that no matter how heartbreaking, these tales of loss and survival should be preserved for future generations.

[via PetaPixel and Reuters, cover image via Rafael Ben Ari | Dreamstime.com]