After two decades of trying and failing to open a lost childhood recording, this Reddit user turned to ChatGPT and was amazed by what AI could do – here's how it worked its magic!
Ever wanted to read those cringe messages you wrote on Facebook when you were a teenager? No? Well, some people aren’t afraid to face their cringe-worthy past selves. A Reddit user recently shared an incredible story about how they managed to recover a long-lost audio file from 20 years ago. Despite the file being trapped in an outdated format, they turned to AI for help, and what followed was nothing short of amazing. With the assistance of ChatGPT, the user was able to unlock the file and relive a piece of the past, proving that sometimes the answers we need are just a click away.
AI Revives Lost Childhood Audio
A Reddit user named Humbertog shared the incredible story of recovering a 20-year-old audio file, originally recorded on an HP Jornada Pocket PC. Released in 2003, the Jornada was a handheld PC that allowed users to capture audio, but the file was saved in the .shs format, which quickly became obsolete. As technology advanced, Humbertog found that modern systems couldn’t play the file, leaving the audio trapped for years.
Ok here is something ChatGPT can do I didn't expected at all, it was amazing! by u/humbertog in ChatGPT
After trying every possible software solution with no success, Humbertog turned to ChatGPT for help. Using advanced algorithms, ChatGPT analyzed the file and discovered audio data. By converting the audio, the AI successfully revived the long-lost file, demonstrating the power of AI in restoring forgotten memories. To be honest, if the T-800 gave me the choice between playing an audio from me when I was a child or terminating me, I wouldn’t be able to write this text now.
Unveiling the Magic
So how did ChatGPT manage to do what Humbertog couldn’t for decades? ChatGPT analyzed the .shs file and discovered it contained embedded WAV audio data, which could then be converted into a playable format for the user to listen to. It’s likely that Python was used to search through the file and extract the audio data. Python is well-suited for this task because it has many libraries that simplify processing and converting data.
This achievement was available for just $20 a month. According to the Reddit user, they used the paid version, ChatGPT-4.0. Therefore, it's unclear whether the free version could have achieved the same result. It actually takes even less to use the magic of AI. The organization EXO Labs, founded by the mentioned Oxford researchers, shared a video on X showcasing a PC with a Pentium II 350 MHz, 128 MB RAM, and Windows 98 successfully running an AI model. The team wrote "Sleepy Joe said," and then the AI generated a text that made sense in some parts and was gibberish in others. Conservative nerds trying to be funny – now I've seen everything.
Do you use AI in your day-to-day life? Would you want to hear yourself speak as a child again? Let us know in the comments!