Story Portraits Uses AI to Bring Photos of Loved Ones to Life

End-of-life planning platform GoodTrust has just announced a service that uses tech wizardry to add audio and animation to photos of deceased loved ones. 

It is called Story Portraits, and it uses AI to animate photos to "bring them to life," complete with any vocal track of your choosing. GoodTrust is a digital legacy company, so the use-case scenario here is creating animated portraits of deceased loved ones, with the audio track adding further sentimentality. 

However, the AI used in this service handles the animation and does not seek to emulate the voice or cadence of the photo subject. You have to attach an audio file to the photo, so a talking portrait of a distant relative is out of the question. You can, however, narrate that photo to give it some sparkle. 

GoodTrust is aware that users will experiment with "both the sentimental and entertainment value" of the service, and they envision it will be used to create unique slideshows or "the ultimate greeting card." 

You can easily share anything you make with this service with friends and family via email, direct links, or social media.

GoodTrust also says they are committed to the privacy of anyone using the platform. To that end, the company has issued an official "AI Ethics Pledge" regarding the service. 

Story Portraits is available worldwide and in 50 different languages. It is not a free service, however. Access to the platform costs $4 each week.