DeepStory is a feature offered by MyHeritage that allows users to create animated videos featuring their ancestors telling their own life stories.
The technologyThe technology
DeepStory leverages artificial intelligence (AI) powered by D-ID, a company specializing in video reenactment using deep learning. This technology utilizes text-to-speech generation to create a high-resolution video where the ancestor's face and mouth are animated to match the spoken audio, simulating lip-syncing. While the voices are AI-generated and not the actual voices of the ancestors, users can select the speech speed and, for English videos, choose from various accents.
Engaging younger generationsEngaging younger generations
DeepStory caters to younger generations accustomed to consuming fast pace information delivered in visual and auditory formats. By presenting family history in a captivating way, DeepStory bridges the gap between generations, ensuring these stories are preserved and cherished, sparking the younger generations curiosity to learn more about their family history.
StorytellingStorytelling
The tool's versatility allows users to create videos based on a wide range of narratives, limited only by their imagination.
Here are some examples (each video featuring an ancestor as the narrator):
- Family heirlooms: Tell the story of a cherished object passed down through generations, detailing its origin, significance, and those who possessed it.
- Love stories: Share the narrative of a couple's love story within your family lineage, including how they met, their wedding details, and the significance of the event.
- Heroism: Honor family heroes, whether war veterans or personal role models, by recounting their accomplishments.
- Recipes: Preserve cherished family recipes by creating instructional videos featuring your ancestor demonstrating the steps involved.
- Sporting achievements: Celebrate the athletic accomplishments of family members by showcasing their victories and competitions.
- Family beliefs and traditions: Explore unique traditions or superstitions within your family or community, explaining their origins, meanings, and humorous anecdotes.
- Historical accounts: For families with Holocaust survivors, DeepStory offers a platform to share their experiences or the stories ancestors who left Europe before the war and were unable to help family members escape Europe.
- Immigration stories: Document your family's immigration journey, detailing their reasons for leaving their homeland and their arrival in a new country.
- Family businesses: Explore the history of family-owned businesses, highlighting the founder, the reasons for establishing the business, and how it was passed down through generations.
- Holiday traditions: Preserve unique holiday traditions within your family or community by showcasing how they are celebrated and why.
- Overcoming challenges: Share stories of overcoming significant physical or emotional obstacles faced by family members.
Educational applicationsEducational applications
Beyond personal storytelling, DeepStory offers a wealth of potential applications in the field of educational. Educators can create engaging and interactive learning experiences for students of all ages, across various disciplines. Examples:
- Literature: Bring famous authors to life by having them discuss themselves and their work. This can be in general or a specific piece that is currently discussed in class.
- History: Create engaging presentations featuring historical figures recounting significant moments of a specific event or their era in general.
- Science: Animate renowned scientists explaining their groundbreaking discoveries or inventions.
DeepStory's application can be extended to other school subjects using similar approaches.
Creating DeepStory videosCreating DeepStory videos
- Automatic generation: MyHeritage offers an automated DeepStory video creation option. Information and photos for the video are drawn from the user's family tree, with the narrative presented chronologically and visuals chosen based on linked events.
- Tailored videos: Users can also create customized DeepStory videos, allowing them to select the specific story, information, visuals, and sequence of events for the video.
DeepStory offers a unique and engaging way to explore and share personal and historical narratives. By bridging the gap between traditional storytelling and modern technology, DeepStory empowers users to preserve history, spark curiosity in the younger generation, offer exciting possibilities for education, entertainment, and historical preservation.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about DeepStoryExplore more about DeepStory
- Making Your Ancestors Speak with DeepStory on the MyHeritage Knowledge Base
- DeepStory – Your Visual Storytelling Tool on Family Legacy Webinars
- DeepStory — Make your family photos speak on the MyHeritage site
- MyHeritage’s AI Technology Brings the Stories of Australian Convict Ancestors to Life on the MyHeritage Blog