Wed Jan 08 07:33:58 UTC 2025: ## Veteran Israeli Journalist Returns to Airwaves Thanks to AI

**Jerusalem, January 8, 2025** – Moshe Nussbaum, a renowned Israeli journalist known for his decades-long career at Channel 12 News, is making a remarkable comeback after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) two years ago. The debilitating disease progressively robbed him of his ability to speak clearly, threatening to end his career. However, through the use of cutting-edge artificial intelligence software, Nussbaum, affectionately known as “Nussi,” will return to the airwaves as a commentator in the coming weeks.

The AI program has been trained on thousands of hours of Nussbaum’s recordings, allowing it to recreate his distinctive voice with remarkable accuracy, capturing his intonation and phrasing. This contrasts sharply with traditional text-to-speech technology which often produces robotic-sounding voices. While the technology currently doesn’t allow for live broadcasts, Nussbaum will provide commentary and analysis on crime and national security, his areas of expertise. A preview released by Channel 12 showcases the remarkable transformation, movingly highlighting the difference between Nussbaum’s current speech and the AI-generated voice.

Nussbaum’s return marks a significant development in the application of AI to assist individuals with speech impairments. While acknowledging concerns about the potential misuse of AI voice cloning for spreading misinformation, he expresses hope that his experience will raise awareness about the possibilities for people with disabilities to continue working. His story follows similar successful uses of AI-powered speech synthesis by a US congresswoman and a young woman, both overcoming speech impediments through this technology.

Channel 12 has not revealed the specific AI program used, but Nussbaum’s comeback is undeniably a testament to both technological advancement and his personal resilience in the face of a devastating illness. He describes his AI-enabled return as a “magic trick” and credits Channel 12 for supporting his reinvention.

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