Childhood photographs of transgender people are re-imagined using AI
Childhood photos of trans people are being reimagined using AI in an effort to make them more comfortable with snaps of their younger selves
Child photos of trans people have been reimagined by AI in an effort to make them more comfortable with snaps of their younger selves.
The Saved Memories project aims to help those who have transitioned become more comfortable with their snaps from their early days.
Each original photo is scanned and used as a master. The AI was then trained with actual images of the person.
Using the AI program Stable Diffusion, the children’s photos were edited to match the person’s true gender identity.
The transformation of the images was made possible by the latest generation of artificial intelligence image processing led by AI engineer Jaques Alomo.
Using the AI program Stable Diffusion, the children’s photos were edited to match the person’s true gender identity. Pictured: Lucy Hellenbrecht’s transformed images, before and after
Developed by Serviceplan Berlin in collaboration with German NGOs Transklar eV, Trans-Ident eV and Rosa Strippe eV, Saved Memories sought to transform children’s photos to reflect the person’s true gender identity using artificial intelligence.
The first participants in the German project were social media influencer Duke Duong, comedian Alice Dee and model and TV personality Lucy Hellenbrecht.
Myles Lord, Creative Managing Partner Serviceplan Berlin, explains: ‘It’s not often you work on a project that is so technical, but has such an emotional impact.
“In the end, we found that many transgender people could really benefit from this idea by giving back a part of their lives that they always missed.
“Working with Lucy, Duke and Alice has been truly inspiring – their intimate and personal testimonials give us essential insights into what it means to grow up transgender and how society can better understand and support the trans community.”
Trans-Ident eV’s Patricia Schüttler said: ‘The goal is not to change the past or correct mistakes. Rather, the goal is to reconcile these images with the person’s true identity – so that the outside reflects what is felt inside.’
Marlon Stiller from Transklar eV added: ‘Not everyone has the opportunity to express their own identity as a child.
The first participants in the German project were social media influencer Duke Duong, comedian Alice Dee and model and TV personality Lucy Hellenbrecht (pictured, Lucy)
The Saved Memories project aims to help those who have transitioned become more comfortable with their snaps from their early days. Pictured: Lucy Hellenbrecht’s transformation images, before and after
Each original photo is scanned and used as a master. The AI was then trained with actual images of the person. Pictured: Social media influencer Duke Duong
Myles Lord, Creative Managing Partner Serviceplan Berlin, explained that the process had ‘an emotional impact’ on the participants. Pictured, social media influencer Duke Duong
“By bringing gender characteristics closer to perceived reality, viewers can exclude painful details and focus on the beautiful memories they almost forgot.”
Andrea Westhoff of Rosa Strippe eV said: ‘We support this project because it makes an important chapter of identity easier for part of the trans community.’
Serviceplan says it is estimated that about half a million people in Germany do not identify with the sex assigned at birth.
They explain, “Many report that they don’t want to view or share their childhood photos after a successful transition.
“This may be because these photos strongly contradict their gender identity and can remind them of the challenges of pre-transition life.”