The Digital Afterlife and Big Tech
The digital age has made coping with loss more complex as the digital ghosts of people remain on social media posts and elsewhere on the internet. Some find solace in revisiting online archives of their lost loved ones, especially on Facebook memorial sites but the content of these profiles is stuck firmly in the past.
While the idea of connecting with deceased loved ones through AI avatar chatbots may bring comfort, it also raises ethical and psychological questions. Preserving memories and passing along family belongings has been a constant throughout history, prompting tech companies to explore new ways to support this process.
The application of avatar chatbots is not solely limited to coping with grief and loss. It could also serve as a tool for documenting personal thoughts, communicating difficult conversations, and preserving memories in the present. Such avatars may have value and purpose even when people are alive, allowing them to pass down their experiences to future generations.
While avatar chatbots can be beneficial during the grieving process, they also raise concerns about their impact on mental health and emotional well-being. Some research indicates that excessive reliance on avatar chatbots might hinder their ability to adapt to loss and prolong grief.
Death tech designers still face significant challenges in accurately mimicking a deceased person while dealing with issues of privacy and consent. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT string words together based on statistical probability, and have been known to produce arbitrary, false, or harmful content.
New York University professor, Gary Marcus warns that systems like ChatGPT can’t accurately replicate a relative, as they tend to fabricate information. But advancements in audio and video reproduction have made digital copies of deceased individuals possible, making technology like deepfakes, more accessible.
Marcus believes that generating AI’s arbitrary or inaccurate responses may pose risks to users. He emphasizes the need for a clear understanding of the technology’s limitations, as these models can more convincingly mimic human behavior.
How do we check the authenticity of the words spoken by an AI persona? In the case of grief tech, authenticity is about being as close as possible to how the deceased looked and sounded. This depends on the volume of data entered into the chatbot. Even with vast training data, the chatbot might still provide inaccurate information. Responding to complex questions remains a struggle for these chatbots, as they lack the deceased’s point of view and essence.
While challenges remain, advancements in AI technology are bringing us closer to lifelike virtual interactions with departed loved ones. However, the ethical implications surrounding privacy and consent must be carefully addressed as these technologies evolve.
As we jump into an AI-driven future, the stories, memories, and voices of the past continue to resonate within the algorithms of our digital world. Whatever technology we use, ultimately the essence of human connection and the significance of genuine memories remain central to human agency.
Ginger Liu is the founder of Hollywood’s Ginger Media & Entertainment, a researcher and journalist in artificial intelligence and visual arts media — specifically grief tech, digital afterlife, AI, death and mourning practices, AI and photography, biometrics, security, and policy, and an author, writer, artist photographer, and filmmaker. Listen to the Podcast — The Digital Afterlife of Grief.
