AI allows Israeli reporter to return to TV after losing voice to ALS

Well-known journalist Moshe Nussbaum, who recently lost his voice to ALS, will return to Israeli television with an AI-recreated voice, Israel’s Channel 12 announced on Monday.

Nussbaum revealed his ALS diagnosis in 2022 but continued working for Channel 12 until 2024.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to the loss of voluntary muscle control.

Although he managed to produce a few reports during the war, the disease soon damaged Nussbaum’s ability to speak to such an extent that he could no longer continue as a TV reporter.

Soon, with the assistance of “Nussi AI,” Nussbaum will be able to resume his career.

“Nussbaum will report his stories, and then write them up, using an AI program that has been trained to speak using Nussbaum’s voice,” AP News reported. “He will be filmed as if he were presenting, and his lips will be ‘technologically adjusted’ to match the words.”

Channel 12 released an early example of the technology in action, with Nussbaum sharing his emotions regarding his unexpected return to work.

“Honestly, this is my first time sitting here in the studio after more than a year,” Nussbaum said. “It feels a bit strange, and mostly, it tugs my heart.”

He expressed his gratitude to AP for the opportunity Channel 12 has given him, made possible through the new technology.

“The fact that Channel 12 and my news managers are allowing me to reinvent myself anew – that is one of the most important medicines I can get in my fight with this disease.”

The exact cause of ALS is often unknown, and there is currently no cure, though treatments can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.