Widowed Mom Received Son's Christmas Gift – Bursts into Tears upon Hearing Familiar Voice

AI is one of the words on everyone's lips these days, and for good reason. While others are creating artwork, poetry, lyrics, and so much more, one TikTok user found a way to use it to bring happy tears to his mother's eyes.

People have different opinions on adopting artificial intelligence (AI) mainly because of fears about the harm and job losses it can cause. However, one St. Louis man, Phillip Willett, 27, found a more touching way to use the technology.

On December 20, 2023, the content creator behind The Content Guy media company uploaded a TikTok clip that garnered millions of views and thousands of comments. In the clip, his elderly mother, Trish Willett, was recorded as she entered a room and sat.

She had a gift bag with presents inside that she opened. Phillip explained with text over the video that his father, John Willett, had passed on one and a half years before from pancreatic cancer, so he decided to do something special for his mother in 2023.

He noted that it had been a long time since they heard his father's voice, so he made his mother a clip using AI technology to match the late parent's exact voice. In the background, his mother opened her gift and seemed to press play. What Trish heard left her in tears.

The video book, which included nostalgic photos, shocked Trish when it spoke in her late husband's voice, greeting her sweetly. John's voice said it loved Trish and revealed that it could hear her prayers and wanted her to know:

"You are the best mother to our kids."

Trish was also described as the strongest woman in the world and would always be with her. The AI recording hoped she and the rest of the family would have a Merry Christmas. The clip concluded with Phillip coming over to hug his teary-eyed mother, who thanked him for the special gift. The content creator revealed where he got the incredible idea from.

Speaking to "Good Morning America," Phillip shared how his wife, Kassandra Willett, was the first to give him the idea to use AI as a present for his mother. He'd used it before for his professional work and was initially resistant.

Phillip explained that he initially thought it would be weird but decided to search online to find out if other people had done something similar. He was surprised when he found a community of people who asked the same things for which he needed clarity.

Earlier in December, he changed his mind and started using ElevenLabs' text-to-speech software to create his late father's message. After putting in the first words, he couldn't help but get body chills when the program repeated his words in John's voice.

Then and there, he decided to use AI to create his mother's gift. At 7 a.m., he started the project, and by 6 p.m., he was done after having not left his desk the whole day. After spending so much time working on it, he said:

"I'm really glad I did because it turned out so cool."

Phillip explained how he'd wished the video to be a portal that his mother could immerse herself in and feel the emotions of her relationship with her late husband. He felt what AI did with the clip was something that:

"Really encapsulate[s] their whole life together."

The TikToker shared how his hug with his mother at the end of the recording lasted for ten minutes. The mother and son pair both cried and couldn't stop talking about the video and how cool it was. Kassandra's husband believed the recording would help Trish get through the festive season more easily since it reminded her of him, and she now knew he was always with her.

The rest of the family was left speechless, while Phillip encouraged others to explore using AI for good. He wouldn't have recommended it until he did it and saw the special moment it brought for him and his mother.

John, who passed away in 2022, is described as a "hero" by Phillip. The content creator said his parents' strong relationship afforded his family and siblings the close relationship they have today.

Speaking about nostalgia and memories click here if you wish to see what the late Paul Walker would've looked like using AI.