Man uses AI to recreate mom's precious memories in viral birthday film

A heartwarming AI-generated video created by a son for his mother's birthday has touched millions online.

As seen in Kuya Kim's report in "24 Oras," Tuesday, 60-year-old Nanay Nemia became emotional while watching a short film that allowed her to relive some of the most important moments of her life with the help of artificial intelligence.

The film showed scenes inspired by her memories, including the day she met her husband, their wedding day, and moments when their children were still young.

The touching surprise was prepared by her son, Franklin Miano, who said he wanted to give his mother a truly meaningful birthday gift.

"Mahilig siyang tingnan 'yung mga dating litrato. So naisip ko why not na gawan po ng magandang short film. Ire-relive niya 'yung nakaraan," Miano shared.

According to him, his mother had a mix of emotions while watching the video.

"Sobrang natuwa siya. Halo 'yung emotions. Naiyak siya, naluha siya, natawa siya and everything," he said.

Miano also revealed that he did not expect the video to gain more than 20 million views just one day after posting it online.

"Nung pinost ko, unexpected din na umabot kaagad ng 20 plus million views in just 1 day. First time nya daw nagkaroon ng millions of happy birthday greetings," Miano said.

Despite the realistic scenes in the film, Miano clarified that his mother did not act in the video. Instead, he used artificial intelligence video generation tools to create the clips.

He explained that the process involved typing detailed prompts or instructions into a computer program, which then generated realistic video scenes based on the descriptions.

"As much as possible, specific 'yung description doon sa prompt para maganda 'yung kakalabasan," Miano said.

Dr. Thomas James Tiam-Lee, Director for AI Integration at De La Salle University, explained that AI video generation models work by interpreting text instructions from users and transforming them into lifelike videos.

"'Yung mga video generation models gumagana sila by looking at an instruction from the user. Ilalarawan lang natin in text form kung ano 'yung gusto natin makita dun sa video," Tiam-Lee said.

"Ang gagawin nung AI model is susubukan niyang sundin 'yung lahat ng instructions natin tapos gagawa siya ng isang makatotohanang video base dun," he added.

However, experts noted that while AI can be a powerful tool in filmmaking, it also raises concerns about its impact on creative industries.

Prof. Benjar Ramos, an associate professor and creative producer from Polytechnic University of the Philippines, said AI has potential as a filmmaking tool but said that human creativity remains irreplaceable.

"May potential ang AI bilang tool. Ang problema 'yung trabaho ng mga creative people mawawala sa kanila at mabibigay ito dun sa mga tao na ang gagawin na lang, mag-i-input na lang ng prompt," Ramos said.

"Pangalawa, iba pa rin 'yung feels o dating na ang isang material ay gawa ng tao. And lastly, merong limitations ang AI," he added.

Tiam-Lee also said that while AI models have become highly capable of generating videos, there are still many things the technology cannot accurately replicate.

"Kahit magaling na mag-generate ang AI models ngayon ng mga videos, madami pa rin silang hindi nakukuha ng tama," he said.

"Hindi consistent 'yung physics ng pag-interact nung mga iba-ibang objects dun sa isang eksena," Tiam-Lee added.

He also reminded the public about the responsible use of AI-generated videos, stressing the importance of transparency and ethical practices.

"'Wag nating itago yung fact na gumamit tayo ng AI. 'Wag din natin siyang gamitin para manlinlang ng mga tao. Kailangan maging aware tayo na ginagamit natin siya para sa isang mabuting layunin," Tiam-Lee said.

"Dapat meron din tayong reflection o pagninilay doon sa epekto nito sa mga industriya na meron tayo. Ano ba 'yung kayang makuha natin sa mga totoong filmmakers na hindi kayang gawin ng AI. At dapat ay mas suportahan natin kung ano 'yung mga aspeto na 'yun," he added.

Tiam-Lee also said that despite rapid advancements in AI technology, it still cannot fully replace traditional filmmaking.

"Filmmaking is an art. Hindi siya mare-replace pa rin. At the end of the day, art should still belong to humans pa din kasi that's what art is. It's about humanities. Dapat tao pa din 'yung nagda-drive nun," he said. —Jade Veronique Yap/MGP, GMA News