Overview

• Ohanian used Midjourney’s AI video generator to animate a childhood photo of himself hugging his late mother, Anke, who died in 2008.
• The short clip went viral on X, racking up over 20 million views in less than two days.
• Supporters hailed the video as a touching tribute, while critics warned that AI-created scenes risk implanting false memories.
• In response, Ohanian tweeted that the project was not a replacement for real footage but akin to restoring or stabilizing poor-quality home video.
• The post has reignited discussion over the ethics of using generative AI to recreate and alter personal memories.