They say that death is the great equalizer, but what if it didn't have to be?
Thanks to the rise of grief technology and artificial intelligence (AI), people are exploring new ways to keep their loved ones alive — even after they've died. From chatbots to virtual reality, the boundaries of life and death are being pushed to their limits.
Thanks to the invention of emotionally intelligent AI and the conversational tones associated with ChatGPT, some are using this to replicate talking with loved ones, celebrities and more.
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Afterlife AI: James Vlahos created a chatbot replica of his father after he died from terminal lung cancer. Vlahos spent nearly a year programming the chatbot using recordings of his father’s voice and transcripts of their conversations. The resulting chatbot, known as the Dadbot, allows Vlahos to continue to have conversations with his father and preserve his memories for future generations.
In 2017, Vlahos shared his story about the memory-sharing chatbot he created with Wired. This sparked a massive response from people all over the globe who were dealing with the loss of a loved one or their own mortality. They wanted to create similar chatbots to preserve cherished memories and experiences.
Motivated by the overwhelming response, he founded HereAfter AI, a web app that allows users to store and share meaningful memories with loved ones. The app's website touts its ability to enable interactive memory-sharing, giving users the chance to keep the memories of those they've lost alive.
The company's mission is to create a digital afterlife for people who have died, allowing their loved ones to interact with a chatbot that uses the person's voice and personality.
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Using advanced AI algorithms and natural language processing, HereAfter AI creates an interactive chatbot that can converse with users just like a real person. The chatbot is designed to learn from the person's digital footprint, including social media profiles, emails and other online activities. The more data fed into the system, the more accurate and nuanced the chatbot's responses become.
One of the unique features of HereAfter AI is its ability to create audio clones of the deceased person. By analyzing the person's voice and speech patterns, the AI system can create a realistic simulation of the person's voice. This allows loved ones to hear their voice again and feel a greater sense of connection with the deceased.
In 2017, Eternime launched a beta version of its digital avatar. This groundbreaking service captures an individual's online persona – including their memories, stories and personal values – and then uses AI algorithms to generate a digital replica. This digital twin can then respond to text messages, emails and participate in video calls, mirroring the deceased’s personality traits and communication style.
Microsoft Corp. patented software that uses social media posts and text messages to create chatbots based on specific people, whether they are dead or alive. The chatbot's personality and responses are based on the data it pulls from the person's online activity.
This technology, similar to the concept in the sci-fi show "Black Mirror," could provide some temporary relief for people grieving the loss of a loved one. Imagine being able to have a conversation with a chatbot that responds like your late spouse or receiving a letter back from a dead friend.
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Although Microsoft patented the technology, the company isn’t planning to turn it into an actual product, according to a tweet from Tim O’Brien, Microsoft’s general manager of AI programs.
Concerns: The idea of bringing back a loved one through AI may sound appealing, but it raises ethical concerns. Relying on a chatbot for comfort could delay or impede the natural grieving process. Grief counselors worry that people who use these chatbots may avoid processing their emotions.
Another concern is the accuracy of the chatbot's responses. While it may seem like the chatbot is responding like the person you knew, it's important to remember that it's only based on the data it can access. There's no guarantee that the chatbot's responses will be accurate or represent the person's true personality.
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