JERUSALEM (AP) — When a famous Israeli television journalist lost his ability to speak clearly to ALS, he thought his career might be over. But now, thanks to artificial intelligence software that can recreate his deep, widely recognized voice, Moshe Nussbaum – known to generations of viewers simply as “Nussi” – is making a comeback.
Nussbaum, 71, was diagnosed two years ago with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease that attacks the nerve cells that control muscles throughout the body.
At the time, he promised viewers of Israel’s Channel 12 that he would continue working as long as he was physically able. But little by little, it became more and more difficult.
It was a devastating blow to the career of a great, pragmatic journalist who for more than 40 years had covered many of Israel’s most important events on the ground. He has appeared at the scenes of suicide bombings and on the front lines of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and covered scandals in the Israeli parliament and high-profile court cases.
After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, Nussbaum was unable to go to the field. It was the first time in his career that he had not participated in a war, he noted in a recent interview with colleagues from Channel 12, the country’s largest channel.
Even though he had difficulty moving and speaking, he began a segment interviewing wounded soldiers in Israeli hospitals. His questions were slow and hesitant, but he kept them up for the first half of the war. Then, as it became more and more difficult to speak and make oneself understood, his conversations became less frequent.
On Monday, Channel 12 made a surprising announcement that it would bring Nussbaum back on air in the coming weeks as a commentator, with the help of AI.
“It took me a few moments to process and understand that it’s me speaking now,” Nussbaum told The Associated Press via text message. “Slowly, slowly, I understand the incredible meaning of this device for all people with disabilities, myself included.”
Nussbaum will report his stories, then edit them using an AI program that has been trained to speak using Nussbaum’s voice. He will be filmed as if he is giving a presentation, and his lips will be “technologically adjusted” to match the words.
People with speech disorders have used traditional text-to-speech technology for years, but these voices sound robotic and flat and lack emotion. In contrast, AI technology is trained using recordings of a person’s voice – Nussbaum speaks for thousands of hours thanks to his long career in television and radio – and can imitate their intonations and phrasing.
Excited about the possibilities technology offers him, Nussbaum also expressed concern about how easily technology could be used by bad actors to spread fake news and lies.
In its current form, the technology won’t work for live broadcasts, so Nussbaum won’t be able to go into the field, which is his favorite part of his job, he said. Instead, he will focus on commentary and analysis on crime and national security, his areas of expertise for decades.
Before the broadcasts, Channel 12 released a preview showing clips of Nussbaum speaking naturally – truncated and difficult to understand – followed by the short story “Nussi AI.” The new version sounds strikingly like the old Nussbaum, speaking quickly and insistently. Nussbaum was filmed as if he were presenting the report, sitting up straight with his bushy eyebrows rising and falling for emphasis.
“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve been here in the studio after over a year,” AI Nussbaum says in the preview. “It’s a bit strange, and above all, it tugs at my heart.”
AI-based voice cloning has grown exponentially in recent years. Experts have warned that technology can amplify telephone scams, disrupt democratic elections and violating the dignity of people – living or dead – who never consented to having their voices recreated to say things they never said.
It was used to produce fake robocalls imitating President Joe Biden. In the United States, authorities recently charged a high school athletic director using AI to generate a fake audio clip of the school principal making racist remarks.
But technology also has enormous potential to help people who have lost the ability to speak clearly. A U.S. congresswoman who cannot speak due to complications from Parkinson’s disease and related paralysis used a similar AI program to deliver a speech in the Houseand technology also helped a young woman who lost his voice due to a tumor.
Channel 12 declined to say which AI program it was using.
Nussbaum feared ALS would rob him of the career he loved. In an interview with Channel 12, he said he told his managers “don’t feel like you’re pitying me, that you’re doing me a favor,” he said. “The day you come to the conclusion that this is it, tell me. I will be able to accept it without problem.
He calls his new AI-based personality a “magic trick” that enabled his comeback, and believes it will raise awareness in Israel of ways in which people with disabilities – especially people with progressive disabilities – can continue to work .
“The fact that Channel 12 and my news executives are allowing me to reinvent myself is one of the most important medicines I can get in my fight against this disease,” he said.
