JERUSALEM: “I was Michal Sela,” says the dead woman, looking straight into the camera. “In 2019, I was murdered by my husband, the killer Aliran Malul. And today, after I lost my life, I call on you: Hear my voice.”
The video is part of an Israeli public education campaign that uses artificial intelligence technology to bring five murdered women back to life, to warn others how to protect themselves from abusive relationships.
The clips are created from photographs of the women before they died, using technology to animate them into videos that show them speaking, dubbed by the actresses. They were created by deep-learning start-up D-ID to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Among the women pictured is Sela, 32, when she was stabbed to death by her husband in front of their newborn daughter in 2019. He was convicted of murder last month.
Sela’s sister, Lily Ben Ami, said that she was “speechless and wept bitterly” when she was brought back to life.
The goal of such campaigns is “to create a vaccine against violence, which we are attacking from all angles,” Ben Ami, who approved the video like other relatives, told Channel 13 TV.
Israel’s Ministry of Welfare reported 10% more calls to its domestic-violence helpline in 2021 compared to the previous year.
In her video, “Sela” warns women to seek help if they are in a relationship with a jealous and obsessive man.
“If you fear the reaction to separation from yourself, share it with someone close to you and a domestic violence specialist, who will help you isolate safely and return to your light,” she says. “Listen to my voice. Hear your voice.”
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