Ever wondered what you’d look like as an American pioneer? A WWII nurse? A 1930s movie star? I hadn’t, until I came across this AI Time Machine feature. I decided to give it a try.
The feature is from genealogy company MyHeritage. It’s introduced other intriguing features like Deep Nostalgia, which animates pictures of people to make it look like they’re moving and LiveStory, which takes that a step further and animates a person’s face and mouth so it looks like they’re telling their life story. Now, using the new AI Time Machine feature, you can upload pictures of yourself and then see what the AI thinks you’d look like throughout different historical periods.
If you want to try it out, you can go to the MyHeritage website (the feature is not yet available on the app). From the homepage, hover over “Photos” in the top menu bar, then select “AI Time Machine.” Upload 10-25 photos (MyHeritage recommends uploading a mix of full-body images, close-ups, upper body shots and side profiles). The company is offering a free trial in some US states, but otherwise you’ll need to pay $10 to use the feature.
I was surprised — and slightly disconcerted — by the results, but it was undoubtedly amusing. I wondered what it would end up doing with my hijab, and the outcome was, well, interesting. In some pictures, the AI incorporates my hijab into a pirate’s ensemble, and in others, it seems to have decided I have long, blonde, wavy hair. Along with a pirate, the AI pictured me as an Ottoman Empire bride (another way to work in the hijab, I suppose), a WWII nurse, a woman from the 50s and an American Pioneer. Here are some of the most intriguing examples.
Of course, AI isn’t perfect, so here are two slightly unsettling examples:
MyHeritage makes it easy to download and share these creations on social media, if you feel compelled to do so. Otherwise, you can add this to the list of things you didn’t know AI could — or should — do.
