AI is making the stuff of fantasy novels real as Character.AI gives still photos the ability to speak

A GIF of a painting that begins to talk.

The Harry Potter novels and subsequent film franchise imagined wall-hung portraits that had the ability to move and speak – and AI could soon give a similar animation treatment to still photos.

The videos created by the upcoming Character.AI AvatarFX won’t hang on a wall, but they will give a still photograph the ability to speak.