D-ID
Israeli generative-AI video and face-animation company whose co-founders served in Israeli special forces and Unit 8200; maker of the technology behind MyHeritage's Deep Nostalgia
| D-ID
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder(s) | Gil Perry, Sella Blondheim, Eliran Kuta |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel (2018) |
| Industry | Facial anonymisation; generative AI video |
D-ID is an Israeli company founded in 2017 by chief executive Gil Perry, chief operating officer Sella Blondheim and chief technology officer Eliran Kuta. It began by developing software to protect photos from facial-recognition systems.[1] It later supplied the face-animation technology used by the genealogy company MyHeritage.[2]
Founders and military links
Globes reported that "Perry and Blondheim both served in the Israeli Special Forces, and Kuta served for ten years as a captain in 8200" (Unit 8200). It quoted Perry: "Our roles in the military service, made us become aware and sensitive to sharing photos over the web, as well as to the risks that facial recognition technologies pose to privacy."[1] The company's website says "Gil has served in an elite intelligence unit of the IDF" (Israel Defense Forces).[3] D-ID is listed among the alumni of 8200 EISP, the start-up accelerator of the 8200 Alumni Association.[4]
Products
D-ID launched its first product at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco in September 2018: software to "scramble facial recognition technologies", priced per image processed.[5]
MyHeritage's "Deep Nostalgia" feature, which animates faces in old photographs, was described by TechCrunch as a "deepfake" feature. In 2022 MyHeritage and "technology partner D-ID" extended it with LiveStory, which adds voice; TechCrunch reported that more than 100 million photos had been animated by then.[2] When Deep Nostalgia launched in 2021, The Guardian called it a "'creepy' new service" and quoted MyHeritage: "Some people love the Deep Nostalgia feature and consider it magical, while others find it creepy and dislike it."[6]
See also
- 8200 Alumni Association
- Unit 8200
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Yasmin Yablonko, Israeli ID protection co D-ID raises $4m Globes, 22 January 2018, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sarah Perez, MyHeritage and D-ID partner to bring photos to life with both animations and voice TechCrunch, 3 March 2022, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ D-ID, About D-ID D-ID, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 8200 EISP, Our Alumni 8200EISP, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Jonathan Shieber, D-ID launches its initial product with customers in printing, automotive and financial services TechCrunch, 5 September 2018, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Alex Hern, Deep Nostalgia: 'creepy' new service uses AI to animate old family photos The Guardian, 1 March 2021, accessed 21 October 2026.