Eternal You: New AI avatars of the deceased help relieve grief

Have you heard about 'deadbots'? These intriguing artificial intelligence systems allow the living to speak with the dead by simulating conversations using virtual avatars of deceased individuals. 

Eternal You is a documentary that explores the use of AI avatars as a unique way for humans to connect with their deceased loved ones. This cutting-edge technology can be a significant source of comfort, providing a unique way to cope with grief in times of loss while offering a hopeful perspective in the face of bereavement. It's a novel approach that may intrigue and open new possibilities for coping with loss, providing a way to keep the memory of the deceased alive and a sense of closure. 

How AI avatars of the deceased can transform the way you grieve  

The innovative film documentary by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck takes a relatively cynical look at the use of AI to recreate a dead person's voice, personality and appearance, as an attempt to build another income stream for GenAI. It's a market that could either numb the pain or provide a thrilling, albeit unusual, experience. 

• For instance, a mother from South Korea uses a virtual reality (VR) headset to interact with an AI-created avatar of her deceased daughter. This interaction provides a profound sense of connection to her lost child, offering a potential source of comfort and reassurance in her grief. 
• In another scenario, a woman uses a chatbot to speak with a virtual version of her deceased boyfriend, but the interaction turns unsettling when the boyfriend claims he is in hell and threatens to haunt her. This highlights the potential for this technology to cause emotional distress rather than providing comfort. This disturbing interaction is a prime example of an artificial intelligence hallucination due to the limitations of the model's training data. 

The double-edged sword of AI presents a significant opportunity to feel close to deceased loved ones but also carries risks and ethical implications. Just as deepfakes create misleading content, using digital avatars of deceased persons has risks when it comes to the sensitive realm of grief support and users' emotional wellbeing. Using ethically responsible AI is key to ensuring the safety and security of all involved.