AI and Hope How MeBookAI Partners With Beeri Press
From Ashes to Imagination A Story of Resilience
In a remarkable display of hope and innovation, the production floor of the Be'eri Press near the Gaza border is once again alive with activity. Just days after the October 7 massacre, its resilient employees restarted the printing machines, which are now churning out hundreds of colorful, personalized children's books. This incredible revival is fueled by a partnership with Israeli startup MeBook.AI.
The collaboration produces unique books where the child who receives it becomes the main hero. Using technology developed by MeBook.AI, popular titles like I'm Having a Birthday and The Superhero are transformed into personal adventures. The process is simple: a parent provides their child's name and a picture, and the system integrates them seamlessly into the story. The magic lies in the combination of human-written narratives and captivating illustrations generated by artificial intelligence, making each book a treasured keepsake.
The Magic of Seeing Yourself in a Story
The response from young readers has been overwhelmingly positive. Idan Frost, CEO of MeBook.AI, describes the excitement as "insane." He shares a personal story: "It took me a month to get my son's book out of his hands, just because I wanted to have some examples here in the office." According to Frost, the deep emotional bond children form with these books surpasses that of any other gift.
Parents have also reported significant developmental breakthroughs. Yinon David, the company's CMO, says, "People write to us that their son or daughter was weaned off diapers or a pacifier with the help of the books on weaning." In one touching instance, a child was so inspired by his personalized story that he asked to dress up as the 'Hero of Light' for Purim, a character invented for a MeBook.AI story. "We were in shock," David recalls. "We couldn't believe that a character in a book would become something so significant in a child's life."
In response to the recent conflict, the company also released a special series of books to help children process the situation, with titles like "My Dad is on reserve duty" and "It's Nice in the Mamad (Safe Room)." The latter became incredibly popular and was offered as a free digital download to thousands of families.
The Human Touch in an AI World
MeBook.AI was founded a year ago by Frost, David, and CTO Idan Ben Shimon. As fathers, they shared a common goal: to create a gift for their children that would be more lasting than a typical toy and would encourage them to disconnect from screens. Their initial vision was to have AI generate both the stories and the images.
However, they soon discovered that AI, for all its power, struggled with the nuance and gentleness required for children's literature. "It can insert strange sentences and mix in topics that a child won't really like," David explains. He adds that AI models still can't reliably create quality, rhyming content. The solution was a hybrid approach: all the illustrations are created by AI, but the stories are penned by human writers. This ensures the narrative is engaging and age-appropriate.
Looking ahead, MeBook.AI plans to launch new features allowing customers to generate a book on any topic their child desires. The company has also opened its platform to external creators, who can write stories and earn revenue from each personalized book sold.
A Partnership Forged in Fire
The collaboration with Be'eri Press began before the tragic events of October 7. The press was developing a system to handle MeBook.AI's unique need for printing single, customized copies—a task traditional publishing houses aren't equipped for.
The massacre brought this work to an abrupt halt. Amit Yesodi, a manager at the press and a survivor from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, shared the devastating toll: "On October 7, 102 members of Kibbutz Be'eri were murdered, eight of whom were employees of the press." Yet, in an act of incredible bravery, a small team returned just one week later. "A few brave members put on protective vests, got on an armored bus... and turned the switch back on at the Be'eri Press," Yesodi recounts.
Forced to scale back, the press had to cancel the project. MeBook.AI moved to another printer, but fate intervened. "After two months, the Be'eri Press acquired the printing house we were working with, and we came back to them through the back door," says Frost. Now, the two companies work in "perfect synergy."
From Local Success to Global Ambition
The partnership has been a resounding success. "From August of last year until now, we have grown like crazy. We've sold close to 30,000 copies in Israel alone," David reports. The company is already expanding, with sales in Denmark, Germany, the Philippines, and the United States.
The founders have their sights set on a much larger market. They are developing a franchise model to operate the system in different countries and plan a major marketing campaign in the U.S., where they see market potential in the hundreds of millions of dollars. "We still have so much room to grow," David says confidently. "We haven’t even scratched the surface."
