It brings back to life a pre-war Brest larger than life thanks to artificial intelligence [Vidéo]

Rue Jean-Jaurès, the arsenal in the past… People walking, camera movements… In the genre of mixing the latest technology and evocation of the past, this initiative is there! This mid-December 2024, Cyril de Sousa Cardoso posted on social networks a video showing pre-war Brest, made from photos animated by artificial intelligence (AI).

“The objective is educational,” says the founder and director of Polaria, co-founder of the Brest research chair ManagIA, rewarded by the Victoires de la Bretagne in November. “When you see that, it stands out! People are rushing into their personal archives… It’s a good way to take advantage of AI. »

Without computer knowledge, all this is accessible to everyone!

From royalty-free photos

The choice to revive the Brest of a century or more ago is relevant: the city, bombed and almost destroyed, was rebuilt in the 50s and 60s. “Unlike many cities, Brest retains few traces of the pass. I am from Brest and, as more and more people are, proud of it. We are looking to the future, there is the football club which is going strong… But we sometimes wonder: what did the city look like before the war? »

There are of course photos and books. But quite few films from this period and especially not in this visually modern style despite the old tones. From royalty-free photos, to music (which is also) in Belle Époque style but modernized, Cyril de Sousa Cardoso has created a video where we wander through an essentially sepia-toned atmosphere. After a few still images, the animation begins: zoom in or out, crowd or isolated people walking on a sidewalk. “Artificial intelligence has learned how people move, depending on their position, for example, or the movement of water,” explains the young entrepreneur.

“I invite people to use these systems”

Cyril de Sousa Cardoso used several artificial intelligences: one for coloring, one for animation, another to improve the resolution of an image… “The goal, for us, is really to explain that it is enough to be interested and take advantage of these tools to discover their potential. And I invite people to use these systems to give new life to their childhood memories, to their family memories. Without computer knowledge, all this is accessible to everyone! »