Current:Home > StocksHow artificial intelligence is helping ALS patients preserve their voices-LoTradeCoin
How artificial intelligence is helping ALS patients preserve their voices
View Date:2024-12-24 00:05:23
New York City — Brian Jeansonne talks to the world about his journey with ALS through TikTok videos, which the 46-year-old makes with his family and caregivers.
He began recording them when he was still able to speak on his own.
"I'm married for almost 18 years, have five kids," Jeansonne said in one such video.
"But nothing that has been taken away makes me as sad as losing my ability to speak," he said in another.
However, with the help of artificial intelligence, Jeansonne has been able to keep his ability to speak through a process called voice preservation.
"Imagine having no way to communicate your wants or needs or your love," Jeansonne told CBS News. "Voice preservation gives that back to us. This, in many ways, saved my life."
@thejeansonne7 How quickly ALS can take everyrhing from you. From diagnosis in 2020 to today in 2023 #CapCut #love #foryoupage #ALS #tiktok #foryou #viral #viralvideo #fyp #j7 #thejeansonne7 #tiktok #lovegoals #family #duet
♬ Late Tears - Muspace Lofi
CBS News first covered the technology of voice preservation in 2016. At the time, ALS patients at Boston Children's Hospital recorded their voices to play back when they lost their ability to speak. Since then, the technology has only improved, thanks to AI.
"It's allowing people to have to record fewer messages," said John Costello, director of the Augmentative Communication Program at Boston Children's Hospital. "The quality is far superior to what we were able to do in the early days."
- Phone scammers are using artificial intelligence to mimic voices
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing patients to lose their ability to move and speak. An average of 5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Jeansonne and his wife, Kristy, spoke to CBS News through Zoom, which allowed Brian to receive some of the questions in advance, since he has to type out his responses in real time.
The camera on his device tracks his eye movements, allowing them to function like a cursor.
"I am amazed by it," Jeansonne said of the technology. "That fact that I can sound kind of like me is a true gift to me and my family."
"To me, he's there," Kristy Jeansonne added. "His voice is there. It's just totally life changing."
- Is artificial intelligence advancing too quickly? What AI leaders at Google say
Voice preservation can cost more than $1,000, but there are nonprofits that can help pay for it.
On their 20th anniversary, Brian used the technology to repeat his wedding vows to Kristy, continuing to communicate his love for her and for life.
- In:
- Lou Gehrig's Disease
- Artificial Intelligence
- ALS
Dr. Jonathan LaPook is the chief medical correspondent for CBS News.
TwitterveryGood! (283)
Related
- Why Amanda Seyfried Traded Living in Hollywood for Life on a Farm in Upstate New York
- CBS to honor 'The Price is Right' host Bob Barker with primetime special: How to watch
- Claim to Fame's Gabriel Cannon Says He Uses Google to Remember Names of Brother Nick Cannon's Kids
- Wisconsin Republicans revive income tax cut after Evers vetoed similar plan
- Mike Tyson concedes the role of villain to young foe in 58-year-old’s fight with Jake Paul
- 2 found dead in eastern Washington wildfires identified, more than 350 homes confirmed destroyed
- Our Place Sale: Save Up to 26% On the Cult Fave Cookware Brand
- Municipalities say Pennsylvania court ruling on stormwater fees could drain them financially
- After Baltimore mass shooting, neighborhood goes full year with no homicides
- Nick Saban refusing to release Alabama depth chart speaks to generational gap
Ranking
- Queen Elizabeth II's Final 5-Word Diary Entry Revealed
- India closes school after video of teacher urging students to slap Muslim classmate goes viral
- Is Rite Aid at risk of bankruptcy? What a Chapter 11 filing would mean for shoppers.
- Opponents of Nebraska plan to use public money for private school tuition seek ballot initiative
- Dwayne Johnson Admits to Peeing in Bottles on Set After Behavior Controversy
- Fergie Gives Rare Look at Her and Josh Duhamel’s Look-Alike Son Axl on 10th Birthday
- Kyle McCord getting start for Ohio State against Indiana, but QB battle will continue
- How K-pop took over the world — as told by one fan who rode the wave
Recommendation
-
Judge sets April trial date for Sarah Palin’s libel claim against The New York Times
-
Ambulance rides can be costly — and consumers aren't protected from surprise bills
-
Angels go from all-in to folding, inexplicably placing six veterans on waivers
-
When is 'AGT' on tonight? Where to watch next live show of Season 18
-
Wildfires burn from coast-to-coast; red flag warnings issued for Northeast
-
Election deniers rail in Wisconsin as state Senate moves toward firing top election official
-
Rapper 50 Cent cancels Phoenix concert due to extreme heat that has plagued the region
-
Revelers hurl tomatoes at each other and streets awash in red pulp in Spanish town’s Tomatina party